A Village of Nobodies
by Monkey Ninja Naf S'netog
Summary: Naruto and Hinata abandon Konoha, with the aid of the Third, and soon embark on their journey to create their own village. With a war on the rise, different chakras appearing, and loyalties shifting... can they keep their village safe?
1. A Village of Nobodies

**A/N: This is something that's been bothering me for quite a while. I needed to get it out. Dunno if you will like it, but I've been itching to see something like this forever.**

**Disclaimer: I've never had the slightest chance of owning Naruto.**

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Hinata, a young timid girl, around the age of nine, was walking down the street with her elder cousin, Neji. She poked her fingers together, as was her worst habit by far, right next to stuttering, as she went. This greatly annoyed the Hyuuga elder.

"What's wrong?"He asked, but it could be better described as an accusation.

"Ah... Ahm, I..."She hadn't the slightest answer, so she just looked away.

"You'll never catch me, you idiots!" screamed a young, vibrant voice. The boy suddenly came into view, he was rounding the corner of a shop, looking behind him. He certainly didn't notice who was in front of him, especially the two Hyuugas. There was a loud, yet dull, thud. There were children rolling on the ground, shocked. The boy that ran into the other two stood up first. Shoppers all around looked to see what the disturbance was.

"The hell is your problem," the boy yelled. He suddenly noticed that the can of purple paint he had been carrying was splattered all over the other two children. _Better you than me, _he thought.

"What's _our_ problem? You ran into us, imbecile!" screeched the boy, who's voice cracked. The boy laughed at this, and it was then noticed the boy's atire and appearance. He was blonde, scrawny, and wore mostly blue and orange. It was a simple orange and blue jacket tied around his waist, and his dark blue shirt was scratched and torn. He seamed to be wearing camo pants, orange-styled.

Hinata blushed, she instantly liked this guy. She stared, as the two boys argued. She watched has her elder cousin's hair lashed out as he made a threatening gesture to the blonde boy. His white clothes were nothing too special, they were quite dull, in fact. Hinata was wearing an oversized silvery jacket, with a fish net shirt underneath. Her pants were black, with a few pockets. She, too, was small and seemed really fragile.

The blonde boy looked at the girl, "The hell you looking at?"

It was obviously quite rude, but strangely attractive to her. His in-your-face demeanor was quite appealing to her. She was never talked to like that, being a part of one of the most old and prestigious clans in the village.

"I, ahm, I..." she squeaked. She was no good at speech. No good at all.

Some older men rounded the corner, looking very frustrated in fact, with purple paint all over their faces. They glared before bolting at the boy. Surprisingly, the boy grinned.

As all the men lunged forward, he sprang up, twisting and contorting his body, until he was in the middle of them. It probably went unnoticed, seeing as it only happened in a millisecond. The boys limbs swung, all in one fluid motion, and it was over. They landed in a heap, while he stood victoriously on top of the pile. Hinata's admiration grew 10 times what it was a second ago.

"Ah, they'll never learn..." he smirked, jumped onto a rooftop, and was gone.

Neji stood, looked around, his Byakugan activated, "...all the way out of _my_ sight? Impossible..."

Hinata's heart fluttered. She had her first crush.

They continued their trip to the Academy, after getting cleaned up, of course. The same thing was on their minds, just not the same attitude towards that thing. Or, it should be more of a whom. Neji left Hinata, heading to his own classroom.

When she entered the room, she couldn't be any more surprised. That same boy who ran into them was sitting in the middle row, at the middle desk. She couldn't believe it. She made a start to head for him, but stopped. After all, she was the new kid.

Being in the Main Branch of the Hyuuga was not an easy task. In fact, to her infinite shame, Hinata was the only Main Branch member to not be cut out for it. All Cadet Branches attend the Academy, but never the Main Branch members. Of course, she quite liked it this way. She didn't like the methods of teaching her family offered.

"Ah, you're here" a smiling man with a scar on his face said. His name was Iruka, they had met before. He was to be teaching her from now until she graduated. The classroom was very loud. There was much talking, screaming, and wrestling going on. Average ninja-kid stuff, of course. She even caught sight of the blonde boy arguing with some cool looking, raven haired boy. Iruka cleared his throat, and all was ilent. Almost. The blonde kept on going.

"Naruto...," no response. He cleared his throat again, very much louder this time. He kept going, much to the annoyance of, well, everyone. "NARUTO!" Silence.

"Thank you. This is our new student. Hyuuga, Hinata."

"H-hi..." she said it weakly, very softly. Most didn't catch it.

She was pointed to her seat, which was right next to Naruto, the last seat available. She nervously sat down next to him, and he crossed his arms and looked away.

"So... Y-your n-name is Naruto, huh?" He remained silent.

"That's a nice n-name..." she said, poking her fingers. This was very odd, not the finger poking, the attempt at starting conversation. This time he decided to reply.

"Yeah, well, I didn't quite catch yours." He said, loudly.

"H-Hinata..." she said meekly.

"Yeah, you and your boyfriend crashed into me." This made her laugh. It surprised her, but it did.

"He was my cousin," she giggled.

"Jeez, what's with you? Giggling 'cause I mistaked your cousin for your boyfriend? You like him that much?" This made her quiet, fast.

"Watch what y-you say," it had almost no spirit in it. She was still very attracted to the boy.

"Watch what I say? Like the fact that your cousin is a steaming pile of crap?" This did make her laugh, which thoroughly confused the boy.

"Stop laughing at me," he said angrily. He could only take it that she thought he was the steaming pile of crap.

"I wasn't-"

"Don't lie!"

Of course, she backed down, and stared simply at her desk. To her amazement, this was boosting her confidence. Something was actually boosting her mood, and it was arguing. She liked this feeling, like she had some power. She decided to continue, gazing at Naruto.

"You have a really dumb look on your face!" she proclaimed. Of course, this wasn't true, but she wanted to egg him on. She was terribly frightened of what the consequences of teasing him like this would be, but she liked it. It wasn't a fear she had experienced before.

He immediately began cursing, whining he didn't, much to her amusement. Of course, she didn't like to do this to him. But, in fact, there was a side of her that thought he was enjoying it as well.

This was the way class went all day, with them both teasing each other, arguing, and basically almost at a brawl. It built up both of their self esteem. After class, everyone followed them outside, watching the yelling that went on. There was a mischievous look on both their faces. A gleam in both of their eyes. Their anger showing, but it was finally an outlet for their constant emotional restrain.

"Well, you're ugly!" yelled Naruto. Hinata was unaffected. Her mother told her she was beautiful everyday before she died, and she would believe it, but not flaunt it. She was unabashed, and her intuition told her it was just an insult that had no color to it.

"And you're stupid!" Hinata screamed, sliding into her Jyuuken stance. Naruto just stood there, with no real training, he decided to make his own stance. It was really awkward, and Hinata could find 10 things wrong with it right now. They both lunged simultaneously at each other, the kids around them screaming "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

She put no chakra into her moves, but with her continuous poking on his vital spots, she knew she would have won if she tried. That was when he tried to get serious. She started to back off. She couldn't predict his moves anymore. He was just going wild, swinging every which way, hopping into the air, doing a roundhouse kick at her leg, which she dodged. She noticed that that was not his intention, but to use the momentum to swing himself back into the air, a heel coming down deadly fast toward her head. She knew he had held back enough to give her time to dodge, which she was in the process of doing, until the fight was intervened.

Neji caught that foot. He towered above poor Hinata, holding the foot up with a strength beyond normal ninja his age. Naruto fell backwards, unable to bring his foot down. He landed on his hands and held himself up.

"Let go," he warned. The Hyuuga boy smirked, and with enormous strength, flung Naruto's foot into the air. But if this was an attempt to throw the boy from the ground, it failed. The boy had instinctively anchored himself to the ground with the chakra in his arms. He twisted his body very fast and delivered a would-be kick at the Hyuuga boy. Unfortunately, Neji ducked and jabbed at Naruto's stomach with an open palm, which missed. Naruto was now a good seven feet in the air, flipping with great speed. Even before the black haired boy could look up, Naruto's heel was inches from the back of his head. This time, it was Hinata whom caught it.

"That's enough," said a strong voice behind the crowd that had gathered even more people. It was Iruka. He looked angry.

"Really, Naruto, starting fights with the new girl and her cousin already?" Iruka scolded as Naruto landed onto his own two feet again.

"I wasn't. at least, not with _him._ He couldn't fight if his life depended on it, which it did a second ago." Naruto said cheekily, throwing a glare in Neji's direction.

"Naruto when will you-?" He wasn't able to finish, because Neji was now a blur of motion, heading straight for Naruto. Iruka was caught off guard, so was unable to stop him. Naruto was under attack, almost before he knew it.

This was a secret, not even Iruka knew it, but the Hokage had been training Naruto over the years. He had taken a liking to him, even though most hated him. Taijutsu was really the main thing he trained him in. Naruto decided this was a deep secret that he couldn't tell anyone else, so acted like an amateur. But, it was quite the opposite. He was almost an expert. In fact, when he was settled down, the Hokage would tell him he was a prodigy. Of course, this made Naruto go wild with pride, but it was something that would be his secret weapon. Unfortunately, Neji _was_ an expert in Taijutsu.

All Naruto could do was dodge, contorting himself gracefully as Neji's attacks became more fierce. There was a lesson to be taught, after all. No one could insult him. No one.

Naruto stared around, everyone was watching him. Their mouths were agape. Was this _the _Naruto? Surely not. Naruto was never this good in a fight. But, here he was. Fighting like a pro, or, at least, holding his own. This made Naruto mad, to reveal his abilities. This had to stop, before he needed to use something he really needed to keep secret.

Naruto began lashing back, and he saw Iruka coming to end the fight. He planned for it to be over before this happened.

Neji let out a grunt as he threw his arms forward, too fast for Naruto to dodge. This was wrong, but Naruto needed to be hit to take this guy down. Unfortunately, Neji went for the vitals. When his palms made contact, Naruto's insides burned, and a terrible pain ripped through his chest. _No way out,_ he thought, _I have to make my move before I pass out._

Before Neji could retract his hands, Naruto slammed his head right into his nose. Neji stumbled back, blood pouring from his nostrils, and his nose was broken. Naruto coughed, a little blood streaking from the corner of his mouth, and he was out.

* * *

This was when it hit Hinata. It was time for a change in her life.

So, she rushed her cousin. Her head was clouded, her vision was blurry. This would obviously change her whole life, and even Naruto's.

Her cousin's head turned, as did everyone else's. They hadn't expected this. An outstretched palm collided with her cousin's chest, lifting him off the air. She quickly twirled a in a 360 degree motion, then slammed her elbow into his abdomen. Before he hit the ground, she sent an open palm to his forehead, bursting chakra from the said hand. It was over before anyone could blink, her fury was growing, and she turned to see if anyone would stop her from what she was intending to do. No one was.

She grabbed the back of Naruto's collar, hopped into the air, dragging him up with here. This village wasn't good enough for them, everyone took them on face-value. They would take care of each other. Why would they need anyone else?

She activated her Byakugan, luckily enough, before the Anbu squad closed in on them. _Well, don't you have another thing coming,_ she thought. Naruto wasn't the only one the Hokage had taken a liking to. Whenever Hinata would turn up missing for a couple days at a time, she would be with the Hokage. He was more of a father than she had ever known. It seemed that he had prepared her for this moment especially, for his methods were all about stamina and speed. She thought it was for her Jyuuken style, but now there was a new light on the way she saw things.

With a deft movement of her one free hand, weights from underneath her baggy jacket and her pants flew off. Houses flew by as she raced across the rooftops, lugging Naruto behind her. Pretty soon she cleared the wall, and she was free... sort of. The Anbu were still following, but there weren't very many. Three at the most, and they didn't seem to be at the top of their game. Didn't they want to catch them? She threw this off as mere paranoia.

* * *

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. Surely he was dead, at least he was expecting himself to be dead. After all, he was attacked by a very deadly Taijutsu. Maybe he was in heaven, because this soft, warm, comfortable bed was infinitely better than the little mat he had to sleep on at his tiny apartment. He then became aware of his surroundings.

He sat up slowly, expecting to feel an intense pain, but he did not. He rubbed the back of his head and yawned, swung his legs over the mattress, and hopped to his feet. Stretching, Naruto began to take in the details of the room.

It was simple enough. White walls, a few chairs, two beds. He turned around and found a new pair of clothes waiting for him at the foot of the bed he just got out of. He slipped into said clothes, and found a new pair of sandals.

He looked at himself in the mirror, and took in his whole appearance. The shirt he wore felt tough, but soft. It was black, with dark red lining. His pants had a few pockets down the leg, but it was also black with red lining. There was even a new, blank, hitai-ate hanging on the opposite wall of him. The band that was connected to the blank metal was red as well. He tied the forehead protector onto his head, looked himself in the mirror, and was confused. He looked so different without his usual clothes.

Naruto paced around the room. Why was it that he was here? Where was here, anyway? He sighed, plopped onto the bed, and stared at the ceiling, hands behind his head. Maybe things would reveal themselves in good time.

* * *

Hinata happily strolled down a street, watching the people she walked past. She had taken Naruto and herself to a village far from Konoha. Naruto's condition had been getting better and better as they went, so she was confident she could get a good amount of distance from their ex-village. She really hoped Naruto wouldn't mind it too bad, being a rogue ninja and all.

She got to their inn, walked up the stairs, and paused at the door. If he was awake today, surely he was confused, possibly angry. It was a risk she had to take. So, turning the knob, she strolled in, happy he was up and clothed.

"Hinata?"The boy asked, confused. "What's going on?"

"Ehm...I, ah... Naruto, w-we're rogue ninjas now..."She said weakly, expecting the worst.

"Ah, I see. Where'd you get these hitai-ates?" This, of course, threw Hinata off guard. _What?_ She thought.

"You're not angry?" She asked, very surprised.

"Nahhh. They were a buncha jerks anyways. You hungry? I'm _starving_!" He jumped up, headed for the door. He turned around and looked at the stunned girl, "You comin'?"

"Ah, yeah... okay." She followed him out the door.

They walked out of the hotel they were staying at, took a right, and headed for the first restaurant in sight. To Naruto's extreme delight, it was a Ramen shack. After walking in and ordering a gaggle of noodles, the two conversed as their meals were being prepared.

"So, Naruto, I-I've been thinking of...," at this point, Hinata half-cupped her hand around her mouth and leaned towards Naruto, "... making our own village."

If Naruto had been eating, he would have choked. "Wh-what?" He spluttered.

"Well, if you don't like the i-idea..." Hinata trailed off and looked the other way.

"It's not so much the idea, as it is the abruptness of these things. I mean, the last thing I remember is attacking your cousin..." after he trailed off, he looked away, trying to remember more.

"W-well... I was just th-thinkng that if we made our own v-village, kept it a secret, and recruited people after it was s-set up..." She looked down and fiddled her thumbs.

"I get it," he said, "but we need more time before we can do that. We're rogue ninja now. Konoha will put us down as Undesirables or something like that. Everyone would jump at the chance to kill me..." Naruto stared at the cook.

"Why?" She was startled at this morbid thought. She hadn't known him long, but she could tell he was a trouble maker. But, would that be enough reason for other people to want to kill you?

"I'll tell you later, if I feel up to it." Naruto smiled at her in a kind of painful way. She dropped the subject.

"We can do whatever we want. No restrictions!" Hinata said cheerfully. She hoped he'd perk up. Also, she was feeling better herself. It was becoming easier for her to talk without stuttering.

"Yeah. Itadakimasu," Naruto exclaimed before digging in. Hinata was a little more discreet with her eating.

They talked while they ate, but not much. It seemed, to others, like they were just two kids on a date. One couple that happened to pass by said how cute it was to each other. It was unfortunate for them that other things were on the mind of these two "children." They were whispering to each other about how they would go about founding a new village. It had to be totally hidden, nearly impossible to find. It had to have fortified defenses, strong, luxurious buildings, too. Of course, this was all just wishful thinking. At least, Hinata thought so.

They left an hour later, after eating their fill.

"Hinata," Naruto began, looking around as they walked, "Do we have everything we need with us right now?"

"Um, yeah... But why?" Hinata looked at him.

"We need to leave. I've got a bad feeling right now." Naruto said, just before a three soft thumps could be heard from behind them.

"Well, well. What do we have hear? Two children, no known village? Nice hitai-ates. Come from the village of nobodies?" A maniacal sounding voice crept onto them. They both froze.

"How can you see our head protectors? You're behind us..." Naruto turned around fast, and saw who it was. Neji Hyuuga.

Hinata's Byakugan was activated instantly, and she turned around to face their pursuer. Two more Hyuuga Clan members appeared on either side of him, both Neji's age.

"Your dad was... upset... that you had left, Lady Hinata. Just come with us. One step away from that cretin will show where your loyalties reside." Neji said with a smirk. He _wanted_ Hinata to stay put. Then he'd get the pleasure of forcing her back.

Both of the young Rogues glared at the three Hyuugas opposite them. Naruto looked at Hinata, then looked forward as he stepped up to the challenge. "Last time you were lucky, Neji. I was just playing around. Now we'll settle this. Three on one. I'm better when weaklings try to gang up on me." Naruto said this with a smirk, and watched as the Hyuugas rose to the challenge instantaneously. Hinata didn't look too happy about this situation, but if anything went wrong, she'd help him immediately.

The three Hyuugas came from different sides, and it was what Naruto had expected. Every attack was made at the same time, in an instant. From the left, he caught an ankle before the foot collided with his face, from the lower right, he managed to lock a foot beind his knee. Neji had went head on, with a powerful open hand accompanying him. Naruto's only free hand caught his wrist, borrowed Neji's momentum, and pivoted himself and the three others, throwing them all into a heap before they could unleash any chakra.

Naruto glared at the three Hyuuga boys. "Go home. We have severed our connections with your village. The three Hyuugas obviously weren't used to defeat, for they just jumped back at him with an arrogance unmatched by anyone Naruto had ever met.

This time all three boys had their bloodlimit activated and were charging at full force. This would be a bit more difficult. Naruto slid into a stance he had seen Hinata use, the Jyuuken. Who was to say that their own technique wouldn't be their own undoing? Naruto sure wasn't.

They seemed to be indignant that some street trash just copied their style, and they attacked. Naruto leaned back slightly as an open palm flared chakra out where his face had just been, swung a foot nimbly behind him to hold his weight up, while a palm struck out at his abdomen. Naruto softly, but swiftly, poked this hand away with his two foremost fingers, and the chakra was let out, missing entirely. The last boy came from behind Naruto, and by sheer luck, Naruto had moved back up from his leaning position and ducked down as a _whoosh_ of air went above his head. That palm collided with Neji, and it was an automatic opening of chakra that flowed into Neji's chest.

All three boys recoiled, and Naruto stood straight. He watched as they all stared unbelievingly at Neji's chest, just before Neji himself stumbled back a bit, some blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

"N-Neji-san... Go home and tell everyone to leave us alone..." Hinata tried to sound strong, but her voice came out in a sort of weak, pleading sound. Naruto came up and stood beside her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wouldn't want to whoop you three times in one week, eh, Neji-_san_?" Naruto jeered. The boys glared, but helped Neji walk away.

"Did you see that?" Naruto crowed. He was absolutely ecstatic. "I don't think I've ever fought three _shinobi _before. Granted they were no higher than Genin, if that..."

"Don't try to make it sound as if it wasn't a feat! Did you see Neji's face after he was struck by his own comrade? I could barely stop myself from laughing!" Hinata smiled at him, and he grinned back. Maybe they would be ready to found their village, not yet, but soon.


	2. An Unexpected Connection

Hinata woke up very slowly, rubbed her eyes, then stared at the sky. It was a clear, starry night, with the moon shining brightly at them. The air was a little cooler than what Hinata preferred, but it did not matter. She felt more freedom here than she ever had back in Konoha. She looked around the clearing. It was pretty well hidden amongst the rocks and few shrubs. Naruto and she had decided to put distance between themselves and Konoha, just in case more retrieval parties came looking.

She sat up, let out a whistle, and Naruto descended from the trees, fully awake and alert. It's been a week since their encounter with her family, and they've felt proud of themselves at the distance they've traveled. Hinata was a little surprised when Naruto knew how to cook really well with such few supplies on their first night of running. He had just told her he was 'used to it.' They've been traveling at night, taking shifts of sleep during the day. Hinata walked around their little 'camp' to make sure they had everything they needed to leave.

"Any problems?" she asked, rummaging through her pack to find a little something to eat.

"Nah, just a few weird looking, over-sized dogs that came grunting around camp. I guess they were hungry." Naruto said as he caught the ration bar that Hinata tossed him.

"You mean bears?" She giggled. He slapped his head, saying how he knew they were too big to be dogs. She closed the pack and gathered anything else they might have. Naruto sat on a small boulder, tearing into his bar. She kind of felt bad. He had an extremely unordinary appetite, but he didn't complain much. But still, that never stopped his traitorous belly from growling ever so often. But they had to do the best they could with what little they had and could obtain.

"Are we still heading South?" Hinata asked this after Naruto finished his food. She knew he wouldn't pay too much attention to her if he had food in front of him.

"Yeah, we agreed to go to Wave country, didn't we?" Naruto concentrated his chakra into the piece of trash in his hands, and it went up in flames. After disposing of his trash, he put his pack on his back, "Ready?" Hinata nodded and put her pack on as well. The past week, they've traveled really fast. It was almost a race between them. Naruto had eventually shifted to all fours, and after perfecting the technique, he showed Hinata how to do it. This enabled them to cover more ground more easily.

They crouched low, extending their hands out in front of them, simultaneously putting their hands on the soft ground in front of them. They turned their heads, looked at each other. They were a few feet away from each other, but neither ahead of the other. As if an invisible hand waved a flag, they both channeled their chakra into their arms and legs, then launched. They traveled at an exhilarating speed, neither losing pace or gaining ground. They were evenly matched, but steadily growing speed.

Hinata's limbs were blurs as she launched herself through the relatively flat terrain. Pretty soon, the land seemed to slowly merge into a sea of rough hills and ponds. She flung herself at a ledge thar ran across the water's edge and ran sideways across it, as if gravity had never existed. She could see Naruto speeding across the water, not caring that he was getting a little wet. Not wanting to lose speed, she forced herself to go faster.

An end to the water came, so she launched herself through the air like a rocket, parallel to the ground. She tore up the ground when she hit, not stopping for a moment. This was how it was for the past three days. At first it was hard for her to keep up with Naruto. It seemed unnatural to be moving this way, but she eventually adapted. Also, the first day was filled with aches and pains, which for some reason diminished that night. That was a night that both were too tired to keep watch, and had slept in close proximity of each other in an enclosed space under a tree. Hinata had felt an unnatural heat that night before she fell asleep. Since then, it's been easier for her to adapt and recover her energy.

They both ripped through the valleys ahead of them, the race becoming faster and faster. Pretty soon they came to another forest. Both ninjas hopped into the air and began throwing themselves to tree after tree. The sun was starting to come up, and Hinata could feel the strain of Chakra depletion. She looked at Naruto, who seemed to be unaffected by the distance traveled and energy used. Her heart starting bating even faster as her breathing became faster and harder. She'd have to stop soon,

"N-Naruto!" She half-yelled, before just missing the branch she had jumped for. She just didn't have the energy to go further...

As she fell, she watched Naruto spin in midair, land on a tree trunk, then spring into her direction. She closed her eyes, listening to the whistle of the wind as she fell, and waited for impact. It never came.

"Hinata?," Naruto said as he landed, holding her gently, "you okay?" She opened her eyes slowly and stared at her crush. She could feel that unnatural warmth again, and her strength was coming back in full stride. Her heart began to slow back to its normal pace, her breathing became softer.

"Yeah..." she lied. Her insides were doing a turnover. _He's holding me! _she thought. He asked if she could stand, and then gently put her back on her feet after being given the affirmative.

"What happened?" Naruto stared at the sky, which was cloudy today. They were red and yellow from the sunrise, but it was strangely unattractive.

"I, um, I..." Hinata was _tired_, that's what. But why not anymore? It just didn't make sense. "I just missed the branch..." she said weakly.

"Oh," was all he said, then shrugged. "I guess we better get going, we're almost there. Wave country isn't too far off, so we can probably get rooms there to sleep in," he pulled out his froggy wallet. "And lots of Ramen! My treat, of course" he grinned.

"Let's just take a short break, maybe eat a little something." Hinata sat against a tree after pulling her pack off, then began rummaging through it. Naruto walked over and sat beside her, and took his own bag off. "I've been thinking," she began,"about making money. Um, well, not making it, but how we _are_ we gonna make it? We can't live off our spare money forever. We were lucky you brought your... frog with all your money in it."

"I can't just leave it in my apartment! I'd miss it too much!" he snuggled his wallet," And I've been ransacked on more than one occasion..." This sent a chill up Hinata's spine. Why? Why would Naruto get robbed?

"Okay, then, let's go." She then flared a devilish grin, "I'll beat you there!" And she was off. She flung herself form tree to tree with an unnatural ease and grace, flying far ahead of Naruto before he even began to try to catch up.

They soon found their way to wave country, and after looking around, decided it wasn't a very special place. Lots of mist, workers, and few shops. It seemed almost a depressing place. No, wait, an _oppressed_ place. But that was none of their concern. What _was_ a concern, for Hinata at least, was a constant ache in her stomach. She hadn't said a word to Naruto about it, but he could tell, however hard she tried to hide it, that she was in pain.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" Naruto said as they walked down a worn street, looking for a place to eat.

"N-Nothing, Naruto..." She winced," I'm fine." She unconsciously put her hand to her stomach, and when she saw Naruto eyeing it, she quickly put it back to her side. "L-look, a Ramen shop..."

This, however hard it was imagine, did not deter Naruto. "What's wrong, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, stopping. Hinata didn't even notice the way he said her name this time, for she dropped to her knees screaming, clutching her lower abdomen. Naruto was instantly at her side, but she screamed even louder when he got closer, which made him recoil. She bent so low then that her forehead touched the ground, and sweat dripped onto the ground.

Just then, a pain came from deep within Naruto, and he felt like there was a chainsaw trying to rip its way out of him.

* * *

Naruto blinked, the pain was now just a numb annoyance. He was slouched over, standing up, dripping in water. His surroundings were dark and dank, and there was a foul smell emanating form somewhere. He looked up wearily, and saw metallic bars that were bending and contorting out of shape. He tried to stand up straight, but he couldn't move. It was then that he realized that he was shackled to a stony wall, and had no strength left in his body.

"**Doesn't feel good, does it? Being held against your will..."** A deep voice droned from, seemingly, inside Naruto's own _head_.

"**Kind of... maddening? Not knowing what will become of you?**" The voice continued, sounding more like growls as it went on,"**Well, I'm glad to make you suffer that way even if it is only for a... short while.**"

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto tried to sound fierce, but it sounded a lot weaker than he desired. This was not good.

"**Why, I am nothing. At least, nothing without **_**you**_**. Don't you know who I am, **_**life**_** partner?**" The voice laughed maniacally.

"I, you... Huh...?" Was all Naruto could manage, sweat pouring from his body. Or was it sweat? Was it water or sweat? Naruto couldn't tell...

"**I am your captive, idiot. And as long as you live, I live... but with me inside you, your life might not be too long lasting. Your **_**father**_** had put me in here nine years ago, shows how much he loved you, eh? Anyway, I plan to make this... **_**visit**_**... as long lasting and unpleasant as possible. Your little friend is having a pretty traumatic time right now, without me to help ease the pain like I'm doing for you,**" Naruto thought he could see a grin."** Let's hope she lives**"

"Wh-what... Are you doing... With H-Hinata?" Naruto's breath was ragged, and it was hard for him to speak.

"**You may thank me for this later, hell, she may even thank me. I'm transferring, let's say half of **_**me**_**, into her. I'll have a more roomy space to live in, she may even be a cleaner vessel. And your life may even be longer lasting without so much chakra ripping inside you. Life is life, and I'll need all the time I can get to think of a way out of here. When I do, I'll be sure to give you and your friend hell just for being my prison. Enough talk, I have to concentrate, unless, of course, you want your friend to die?"**

"What if I want _you_ to die?" It cost Naruto a lot of strength and will power to make his sentence so clear a threatening, but it got its message through.

"**You'd have to kill yourself or free me, then kill me. The latter being impossible, you'd have to kill yourself. Not even your great father could kill me, so you have no chance. Here, just think of me this way, kid. I'm your life insurance, your... extra boost. Use my chakra at your will, but always remember that using my chakra makes me stronger as well. It'll be all the harder to kill me when I escape.**" This was followed by a cynical laugh,"**Times up, kid. Now get the hell out of here!"**

**

* * *

**

Naruto woke up screaming, then rolled right off the bed he was lying in, doing a face-plant on the hard, wooden floor. What was all that about? He could feel himself drenched in sweat, and was only in his boxers. What just happened? Was it all a dream? Was he back in his apartment in Konoha? These questions were quickly answered by another scream and a thud from across the room.

Naruto peeked over his bad, and saw Hinata lying in a heap of blankets and sheets. Looks like she wasn't going down unless she took all of the bedding with her. Too bad she took the bedding with her.

"Hinata?" Naruto called weakly to her, hoping beyond hope that she was all right. She slowly sat up, and Naruto rushed over to her, and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay, Hinata!" She began to glow a deep red, and Naruto just noticed that he was only in his boxers, and she was only in her fishnet shirt and her undergarments as well. Naruto sprung to the ceiling, clinging their with his chakra, eyes clutched tightly shut. "Sorry," he said, embarrassed to a degree which was nearly unimaginable. Hinata's embarrassment was almost palpable.

Naruto could hear Hinata's shuffling around, looking for her clothes, muttering insanely fast. Once again, but this time both could feel it, thee was an unnatural heat in the room. It wasn't uncomfortable, and it wasn't causing any problems, but it was still there.

After a few minutes, Naruto opened one of his eyes very slightly, and saw that she was fully dressed and staring up at him, her cheeks still tinted pink. He dropped from the ceiling and landed on his feet. There was a mirror across the room, and he could see the seal on his stomach had shrunk to only half it's original size.

"Hinata... lift up your shirt." As soon as Naruto said this, there was a small shriek from Hinata. Naruto freaked out, "No-- No, that's not what I meant!! I mean, just, concentrate some chakra, pull your shirt up to just under your ribs, and look in the mirror. If I'm right, you may see something unusual..." Naruto pointed out the mirror, and Hinata timidly followed his orders. A small circle of markings soon appeared on her tummy. She gasped.

"What is that?" Hinata stared in horror at the marking, thinking of her Cadet Branch family members' Caged Bird seal marking.

"It's... a seal, keeping half of the... Kyuubi no Kitsune inside of you. I-I'm sorry Hinata... I wouldn't have let this happen if I could've controlled it, but I... I never _knew_ what my markings meant. I wouldn't have wanted you to carry this kind of burden..." And for one of the very, very few times, Naruto's mask broke, and tears streamed from his eyes. He turned away from Hinata, not able to look at her now.

"Naruto..." She put a hand on his shoulder and stood beside him. "It's fine. No one should ave to bear this kind of burden, especially alone. You've dealt with it for nine years, Naruto... Naruto, we can deal with this together, find a way out." Naruto nodded slightly, then sat down at the bed he had fallen from earlier. Hinata sat beside him, slightly leaning on him. "Just don't worry about it, for now..." Her voice was soothing, and it helped Naruto's ache go away.

"Then, I guess we better find ways to use this 'burden' to its fullest potential." Naruto's eyes gleamed mischievously, and Hinata could somehow feel that warmth connect them, the way no other Human beings could be connected. Whatever they did, it would be done together, and if anyone tried to stop them, they could perish.

----**Three Years Later ----**

Hinata had been reflecting on the time Naruto and she had met. It was weird, how that simple encounter had evolved into all of this. Hinata scratched one of her ears, which had slowly turned into Kitsune ears, but she didn't mind. She thought herself a freak, but then one day Naruto had commented on how cute they looked. She looked at his markings then, and knew how he must have felt those nine years, no one telling him what the whisker markings meant, or why they marked him at all.

She stared around the room she was in, her left ear twitching slightly. It was big, decorated in mostly red and orange. The bed was overly comfortable, but appreciated all the same. In fact, they lived in a _mansion_. It overlooked Wave Country, and held a monopoly on basically everything. Of course, they weren't too unforgiving or harsh. But, as monopolies went, they were gaining immense profits. They've bought out all business, and sold products for cheap prices, then repeated until they had everything within any convenient distance of Wave Country, then they slowly raised the prices back up.

Of course, they provided jobs and housing, they didn't buy out all the land. But, monopolies were generally looked down upon by others.

It hadn't started this way, of course. They didn't just say "alakazam" and they were rich. No, they had worked for it. And hard. They poured their blood and sweat into random missions that they were assigned from differing nations and countries. They always worked together, they were better that way. Their connection had grown stronger and stronger over the years, and now their teamwork was unprecedented. They were the ultimate team.

After working up a decent amount of cash for their plans, they had returned to Wave Country six months ago to start making their dreams come true. They trained a few men and women who were willing to go into the shinobi business, and even children. The older people had condescended their knowledge, until they proved themselves to be stronger than all of them together, just by merely sparring each other. That one fight left scars so deep into the earth that they haven't even begun to heal yet.

Their bodies had become more toned, they looked years older than they actually were. Hinata had filled out nicely, and had changed her outfit to a custom fitted top that conformed to her every movement and protected her as well. She also wore tight black pants that showed her curves perfectly, and made it harder for clothing to get caught on anything. Her blank hitai-ate hung loosely around her neck, and her hair was usually seen in long pig-tails that jutted out on both sides of her head, towards the back.

She sighed. Even though she was twelve, she had the looks of a sixteen year old, and the cruel knowledge of a 30 year old. It was the same for Naruto. The past few years of good health and training had made their bodies look more matured, and the missions had pushed their intellect to its fullest. Naruto was relatively tall now, even.

Hinata stood up from the comfy chair she had been sitting in and walked across the room to the window, and stared out into the night. Wave Country was actually doing better than it was three years ago, even if it was a controlled growth. She shut the curtains, then walked out of her unclosed door. Time to see Naruto.

* * *

Naruto was leaning back in his reclining chair, staring at a painting across the room. It was of Hinata and him, holding a document between them, standing on a bridge that Wave Country had just built. He and Hinata did most of the work, so he had declared it the 'Friendship Bridge.' Hinata said it sounded a little corny, but he wasn't very good with names. He looked at his closet, knowing it contained all kinds of armor, weapons, and different styled orange camo. He then looked at his bathroom which could be a house itself. He sighed, kind of feeling guilty for exploiting this poor Country, even if he was helping them as well.

He heard Hinata's impossibly soft footsteps and turned his head to the unclosed door. Unclosed doors were inviting, showing an openness at all times. That's why the doors were only closed at night, and private rooms like bathrooms and closets etc. were the only ones closed basically at all times. She came in, smiled at him, and made her way towards him. "I got the reports from our scouts earlier, but didn't want to disturb your nap" She said playfully, punching him in the arm. She sat down on the arm of the recliner and smiled at him, folding her hands in her lap.

"Well, I do like my naps" Naruto laughed, poking at her side. Then, simultaneously, they both got serious. "What's up?"

"Well, Konoha Shinobi are on their way. They'll be in the country by mid-afternoon tomorrow, if not earlier. We'll have to prep our own shinobi just in case. But it's probably just a small recon mission, nothing big." Hinata stared into Naruto's electric blue eyes, and his eyes stared into her lavender ones. "If worst comes to worst, we'll have to eliminate them ourselves."

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose, "We've tried so hard to keep our trail either going everywhere, or no trail at all. We cannot let any major Country or Nation know what's happening here. It's better to let them think a businessman is doing it all. We especially need to be wary of Konoha, after all, we are in their bingo books now. 'Wanted: Preferably alive.'" Naruto stared at the ceiling, "Surely they know by now we aren't going back?"

Hinata ruffled his hair, and their faces became less serious now, "Anything that is thrown our way, we will face it together." She blushed slightly. She had thought she was over that, but it brought a smile to Naruto's lips. They both stood, said goodnight, and retired to their respective beds. Tomorrow could very well be a long day.

* * *

The next day, Konoha's ninja seemed to disappear. This infuriated Hinata and Naruto. Hadn't they trained their scouts diligently for months? How could these shinobi just disappear, without their knowing? They were having them constantly watched!

"If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself," Hinata said coldly to her own apprentice scout. This could ruin them if Konoha found out about who was running this huge business. She and Naruto went out, donning their half wolf masks, which covered their nose up, and their most stealthy of clothes and armor. They had kunai belts on, and even special places for those were needed, due to their unnatural way of running.

Hinata's Byakugan was activated, and their search of their county, soon to be village, began.

They were blurs, moving along the outskirts of Wave Country. Naruto's eyes shot around, always covering Hinata's blind spot. Hinata stopped so abruptly, Naruto almost, _almost_, didn't sense that she stopped. They both crouched by a rock, conversing in hand motions. It seems that Konoha had setup a secret, underground base directly below them. Pretty clever to do it on a well used place, no one would expect that. No one except them, of course.

Naruto gave a menacing smile, "Looks like it's time to dig." Of course, he was kidding. He planned on disabling their own entrances, and making his own. They split up, searching for the assorted entrances, then blockading them. Naruto grinned, settled back by their rock, and began focusing his chakra. His eyes lit up in a deep, dark green, and they seemed to laser scan the area around them. Hinata frowned, it was Naruto's original technique. He had taught her to do it, but it was immensely painful, and caused severe headaches afterwards. She had advised him not to use it, but he said he could handle it.

He grunted, blinked a few times, and the jutsu was set. His eyes lit up, gave a sort of electrifying shock, and a deep hole appeared before them. It was also useless in battle, unless you had a full squad to protect you. You were completely blind while doing it, except for a hazy view of things that you more _felt_ than saw. While you did it, you could make very few movements, unless you wanted to damage your chakra coils. But, after getting through all of this, you had a perception of things that was unattained by any before, it was like all your senses together, and then some. Too bad it only lasts ten minutes, and takes a large quantity of chakra to use.

He stood up, smiled reassuringly at the worried Hinata, and hopped into the hole. She was right after him.

This is where Hinata's original jutsu comes in. Her ears, now that they were not human any longer, had an enhanced range and clarity. This helped cover her blind spot, but not completely. She had made a simple enough jutsu that also involved the eyes. It was almost like a camera, but without a monitor. She would make a simple seal with one hand, and a bead of golden chakra would form in front of her eye. It would sense images, and relay them back to Hinata. This could only be used by the Hyuugas, though, for the extra vision would overload a normal Human's sense, causing their brain to function improperly. How long the bead of chakra lasted depended upon the amount of chakra one puts into it, so in this case she put just enough for an hour, and placed it directly in her blind spot, completing her perfect vision. This was a mere dream for all Hyuugas, and it would be a highly praised jutsu, and top secret, if she had shared it with her family. It gave her great joy to know that would never happen.

They landed, in a crouch, in a dark tunnel, lit dimly by lanterns. Naruto's jutsu allowed him to, not see, but know perfectly in any light. His jutsu was more than seeing, it was knowing. Hinata's golden bead actually produced no light to any vision less than a Hyuuga's, but to a Hyuuga it was like an extra sun. Most of Hinata's and Naruto's original jutsus were linked in similarity, due to their connection. Anything they did was to further their compatibility and Teamwork.

They walked down the tunnel, always close to each other, expecting an attack at any moment. They saw how the tunnel opened up around 20 feet ahead of them and Hinata said their was some kind of chakra fuzz in there. Whoever was in there was strong. They needed an the element of surprise on their side, so they rushed in, with smoke bombs and released a few sound exploders, which, simply enough, exploded n wails of unbearable sound to those without ear plugs. Good thing Naruto always wore earplugs that activated on a press of a button to filter any harmful sounds, and Hinata had a special kind of light weighted device attached to her mask to filtered out the sounds to her sensitive ears as well.

When the two Junchuurikis were in the room, engaged in a fight with four Shinobi from the leaf, they hardly took notice of whom they were fighting. They were able to disable 3 of the four ninja before the smoke cleared and the sounds faded away. They stood, back to back, looking around the room at their opponents. They knew every one of their names.

Against a wall on the far side of the room, was an injured Sasuke Uchiha, to his right was an unconscious Haruno Sakura, and beside her was a bashed Inuzuka Kiba. Standing in front of all of them was none other than the Copy Cat Ninja himself, Hatake Kakashi.

"Holy shit, is that Naruto and Hinata?"

* * *

**A/N**

**Well, that's Chapter number two, An Unexpected Connection. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, so drop a review on my progress. See you at Chapter number three.**


	3. War

"Holy shit, is that Naruto and Hinata?"

Sasuke's complete shock was amplified by a surprised yelp from Kiba and Akamaru. Hinata and Naruto didn't even bother to remove their masks, they were already known.

"What... Happened to them? They've totally changed!" Kiba struggled to his feet, while Sasuke tried to get Sakura awake, never taking his eyes off of the two rouges.

"It seems our young friends have went through quite a change, in body and mind, am I right?" Kakashi smiled with the only visible part of his face, his right eye. Neither of the two Jinchuurikis moved or spoke. This was unexpected, to see people they were acquainted with from three years ago, except for Kakashi... he was just famous.

"Naruto, we have to follow through with the plan. We cannot let these shinobi live, you know that, right?" Hinata's cold voice said, chilling their opponents to the bone, all except the infinitely calm and cool Hatake Kakashi.

"To think, we'll have to get rid of a girl I once had a crush on. That seems so long ago...." Naruto's methodical voice responded, sending another chill through the air.

"Now, now," Kakashi began," why not just come back to the village with us? It would settle both of our problems, very nonviolently, I might say. Now that we know who's obviously been running things in Wave Country...." He trailed off, his one eye scrutinizing the two.

"Ka-Kashi-sensei, you don't think they're the ones--?" Sasuke began, standing after he was able to get Sakura out of dream-land.

"Sasuke, this is not time for second-guessing. Only leaders would deal with a problem this large if there was no one else capable of finding and exterminating the 'infestation.' We'll have to bring them back to the village forcefully, or not let them live at all." Kakashi's hand moved up to the left side of his face, and began lifting his forehead protector....

"Naruto, RUN!" Hinata screamed before Kakashi's eye was revealed, and grabbed Naruto's arm, running back the way they came in. "Whatever you do, do _not_ look into his eyes!" Hinata had believed Kakashi's Sharingan to be just a rumor, and Naruto doesn't even know what the Sharingan is, she was sure. And to make things worse, she knew Naruto's jutsu was running out of time. "Now or never, Naruto!"

Naruto understood completely, he could already feel a headache coming on. They got to the hole he had made, began running up it in their four-legged style, Naruto collapsing it as he went. As soon as they surfaced, Naruto closed his eyes tightly, then unleashed several spasms of chakra, making dozens of two inch holes pierce the earth along the general location of the tunnel, collapsing it and hopefully piercing a few shinobi as well. Then, with a burst of pain, time was up, and they slowly made their way away from the site of battle. A loud _crack _could be heard from where they left, and they turned around to see a certain Hatake Kakashi holding what seemed to be a handful of lighting, his shoulder bleeding profusely.

"Oh, shit." was all Naruto could think of saying, as the leader of the four men cell rushed at them, leaving his comrades behind to climb out of the hole he made. Naruto looked up at Hinata, who was half carrying him, and nodded. It was time to bring the heat.

The two Jinchuuriki held out one hand each, pressing the front of their wrists together, they began to use their free hands to furiously gather and place chakra around their stationary hands. Pretty soon, a black abysmal ball of _nothing_ formed, and began to devour the matter around it. They left it sort of _floating _their, and put on some special custom gloves to handle this specific jutsu. They slapped their hands together on the black ball of nothing, pulled it apart, and it began to shape into identical swords, keeping it's black appearance with tints of purple in their as well.

They rushed Kakashi, brandishing their swords, avoiding his Sharingan. From what Naruto could see of Kakashi's feet, he was preparing himself to dodge, or launch. He couldn't tell which.

Naruto swung his sword in a wide arch, putting all his force into it, aiming at Kakashi's left side, Hinata aiming at his right. The white haired nin briefly did a back flip, letting the two pre-teen's swords clash together in a splash of black and purple chakra sparks. This only happened for half a second, before the two exploded in a cloud of smoke, and the real Nobody-nins came crashing down upon Kakashi's front before he could even turn right-side up. Kakashi exploded then, turning into a log. That was when Naruto crashed into the dirt, sinking as if he was in quicksand, and Hinata was now engaged in a battle of the hand jutsus.

As Naruto struggled in the ground, which, in fact, had _become_ quicksand, Hinata was faced off with the great Copy Cat ninja. She conjured another abysmal ball of chakra with her gloved hand, though it was smaller than the first, and took hold of it. She held it out before her, making sure to keep her eyes on the ground, keeping her other hand hidden.

"Why are we fighting, Lady Hinata? With the levels of skill you two have shown, Konoha would welcome you back with open arms. Whatever happened three years ago is in the past. Come home." Kakashi said in an even, almost caring tone. Hinata didn't say a word. "I really do not want to kill either of you, but if I must, I must. It already seems you have learned one of Konoha's forbidden jutsus, this will not do if you are not loyal to Konoha." Still no answer. Naruto was still struggling to get out of the quicksand.

A breeze rustled through the trees, the sun glared down at them, and a few birds whistled. A tint of red flashed through Hinata's eyes as she stared down at the ground, then her pupil-less, lavender eyes started turning green. "Why should I go back? What lies in Konoha that would tempt me to go back?" She was stalling, of course. If Kakashi were to attack now, she would be helpless. Her eyes still needed time to adjust and charge up. The technique on Hyuuga eyes gave an ability of perception that was metaphysical. She had once kidded with Naruto, telling him she could see his thoughts. He had blushed profusely and denied that whatever he was thinking was his thoughts, which led her to wonder what he actually _was_ thinking.

"Well, first of all, there's your family." Kakashi said, never letting his Chidori fade. This comment earned a snort from the would-be Hyuuga heiress.

"My _family_? That's your best argument?" Hinata laughed a bit, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face. She could hear Naruto finally pulling himself out of the quicksand pit.

"Well, I wouldn't have to kill you is my other argument, I just thought the latter was a more happier subject." Hinata could hear almost _hear_ the stoic grin coming from underneath that mask. A small spark emitted from her left eye and she hoped Kakashi hadn't seen it.

"Well, you're wrong. I do not plan on going back, especially not for my family. And you will not be the one to end my life, or Naruto's.... Now DIE!" She screamed, launching herself at him, her eyes blazing emerald green, blue sparks popping and leaving trails as she sped towards her opponent.

Kakashi launched himself at her, holding out his Chidori. Both hand Jutsu clashed, and the Chidori was too solid and strong a jutsu for Hinata's to immaterialize. She squinted, her eyes boring into Kakashi's. He would be getting too much chakra interference to put his Sharingan to good use. They both struggled to get a better foothold, pushing their jutsu harder and harder together, and by now their was a loud roar emitting from it.

"Just give it up, Hinata!" Kakashi barely whispered, his muscles bulging. Kakashi and Hinata simultaneously whipped out a kunai and began a dangerous close-combat kunai match. The sound of clashing kunai was no match for the roar of the pressed jutsus, that were starting to emit deadly flashes of chakra. One such flash of chakra had zipped through five trees, leaving gaping holes in each of the trunks.

Hinata's eyes tried with all their might to force their way into the Sharingan, to somehow destroy it, but to no avail. Finally, the jutsu could hold no longer, and they exploded....

* * *

Naruto had just pulled himself out of the quicksand, and could feel a massive headache coming on. He strained to stay conscious, and looked at Hinata and Kakashi. The blonde looked around, searching for any hint of Kakashi's subordinates. The white haired bastard probably told them to get back to Konoha as fast as possible, to report what they had seen. "Dammit..." he said, pulling himself onto his hands and knees. He looked around when a felt the earth tremble, and saw Hinata and Kakashi near enough to butt heads, clashing two very different jutsu together.

"This can't be good...." Naruto's throbbing mind was able to coordinate some chakra into his legs and arms. He crouched low, putting a kunai into his mouth, preparing to rush in and take out Kakashi. He was about to spring forward, when a bolt of chakra crashed into the ground beside him, throwing him off his limbs and onto his back a good ten feet away. He groaned, getting back into position, replacing the kunai he dropped. He sprung forward, then an explosion so powerful it shook his very core erupted right where Kakashi and Hinata had just been.

Naruto soared through the air, his upper body armor burned right off, his forehead protector completely incinerated. Everything seemed ethereal, until he came crashing right through a tree, bounced over fallen trees, smashed his head on a rock, then finally came to land in a flowing body of water. He groaned, thinking nothing could get worse at this point, so he opened his eyes, that he hadn't noticed were closed. He was wrong, because he then saw Hinata flying right over him and crash landing onto a shabby raft. '_Dammit_,' was his last thought before losing consciousness and floating down the river.

* * *

Hinata slowly opened her eyes, sore all over. As soon as she tried to remember what had happened, a terrible headache ripped through her thoughts, making her drift in and out of consciousness for a while.

When Hinata finally got her bearings, she was able to sit up and shake some dust off. She looked around, and saw that wherever she was, it looked like a war zone. She was lying in rubble, tress scattered all around the land, deep gashes in the earth. She looked into the dark, night sky, and notice a faint swirl of sparks in the sky some hundred feet away. She stared at it, watching it spin slowly, crackling with some kind of energy.

Hinata struggled to her feet, and her hearing started to come back. She hadn't been aware that it was gone. She could hear the cool air whistling past her ears, and could see a small river cut through the land. Pain wracked her head one last time, and she had to force herself not to crumple back to the ground.

She limped towards the water, her left leg hurting terribly. She could see blood stains on her tattered pants, and a faint mark where a wound must have been before it was healed by the Kyuubi's chakra. She kneeled down and splashed some water in her face, and suddenly remembering Naruto's absence, jerked back up, ignoring the protests coming from her hurt leg. This was the first time they were separated since they had teamed up. She suddenly felt alone and scared.

"N-Naruto-kun? Where are you?" She frantically began to fumble away from the battle scarred area, searching for her... her _only_ friend, the only person who mattered to her. "Naruto? Naruto!" She began running, and noticed that the debris was becoming less and less, she turned back. She needed to search the area where the explosion happened

The young girl searched and searched, but could find nothing, except a few shreds of his clothing by the... river. The river! She looked in the direction that the river flowed, perked her ears, and breathed deeply through her nose. He had to have went down the river. '_It's my only shot_.'

She took off on all four limbs, not caring about any pain that rose up from anywhere in her body. Something more important was at hand. She was so engrossed with finding her life-long companion, that she hadn't even noticed a battered Kakashi pulling himself out of a prison of broken trees and mounds of dirt....

* * *

Naruto finally opened his eyes and observed his surroundings, noting a slight restraint on his body. He didn't know if it was fatigue or bindings, because he couldn't _see_ anything.

" I think he's awake, Sasuke-kun!" A trembling voice squeaked, and Naruto could hear shuffling of feet, then a palm was laid on his face. Naruto could then tell he was blindfolded, but the blindfold seemed heavier and more dense than the usual run-of-the-mill ones. Naruto tried to move his head, but couldn't. He let out a grunt.

"Indeed he is," a cool voice responded to the first. Naruto tried to focus his chakra, but found that he either had none, which is unlikely, or that there was some kind of force preventing him from doing so.

"Too much resistance, and you'll get fried." A third, cocky voice sounded out, a few squeaky yips sounding out as well. More shuffling of feet, then he could feel something wet brush against his lips. "My comrade here has been putting seals all over your body, clothes, and then some sealed tags, just for safe measure. From what she told us, we have to keep your chakra separated from your control by either storing it in these sealed tags," a flick to his stomach corresponded with this comment," or by suppressing it with the seals on your body." Naruto could almost hear the smirk on the voice's face.

"Mm... It's not permanent, Naruto...." The first voice came, higher in pitch and with a softer tone than the other two, and it sounded almost apologetic. "But it will last for quite a while. It will give you time to come to your senses and come home. You've changed quite a lot...." The voice drifted off, and a snort resounded through the area. Naruto could guess they were in a small, metal bunker. He tried to focus his chakra again, this time focusing with all his being. He wasn't about to be taken prisoner.

A sharp _crack_ bounced around the room, and Naruto suddenly found his whole body engulfed in pain. He was determined not to scream, but a wail of pain escaped his lips anyway....

"Naruto, please! We're only trying to help!" The feminine voice called. A roar of laughter came from Naruto, despite the pain that was still coursing through his body.

"Help me? Help _me?_ Don't kid yourself, Sakura." A rush of remembrance rushed through his body, and his will of steel softened for a moment, remembering how he once fancied touching that beautiful, long, pink hair. A slight moan escaped him again, then the pain started to subside.

"Naruto, stop being a pest. You're coming with us whether you like it or not, so you might as well give in. You're lucky we haven't done anything _too_ drastic, you know, like... cutting off some important parts of your body?" A slap echoed through Naruto's ears, and he slightly smirked.

"Sasuke! Cut that out!" Sakura screamed, making a roar of laughter come from the last voice. A thud came from across the room.

"Shut up, Kiba." Sasuke spat.

"Quite a team you guys are. Really, I'm serious. If Hinata and I.... Hinata.... Where is she? Hinata! HINATA!" Naruto screamed, focusing his chakra again, making a new spectrum of pain run up his legs, through his stomach, straight to his head.

"Dammit, Naruto! You're going to kill yourself!" Sakura yelled frantically, and Naruto could hear her rush to is side, even through the cloud of pain that numbed his awareness.

"Sakura, don't touch his seals! If you screw this up, you'll be stripped of your Kunoichi status." Sasuke said quickly.

"Hey, settle down, Naruto. It's not like we're the one's hurting you. You're doing this to yourself." Kiba said, in a panicky voice. Naruto continued to scream and struggle, more and more layers of pain were activated, his restrictions becoming even tighter.

"HINATA! Is she okay? WHERE IS SHE, YOU BASTARDS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Naruto screamed, and he could feel himself twisting and contorting, trying to break free of his bonds. He finally felt himself catch fire, the Kyuubi's chakra pouring out of him like lava. All of the suppressed chakra, all of the pent up anger and confusion, exploded out of him in a burst of energy. The heavy blindfold exploded, sending it's bulky ashes everywhere, making a dark cloud. Cloth-like paper burned everywhere, debris whipping through the air as it was propelled by his chakra. Whatever form of furniture that was holding him before crashed into the wall, and Naruto's hair flowed upwards in waves. The chakra had nowhere to go but up.

He glared at the three cowering Shinobi who he might once have considered comrades, in some other lifetime. Sasuke and Kiba stood in front of an awe-struck Sakura, a sort of twinkling admiration in her eyes. Or were they tears?

Naruto withdrew a Kunai, showing he meant business. The whole room was filled with a crimson haze, the pressure mounting. If he didn't kill them first, Naruto was sure the pressure would collapse their heads. "Where's Hinata?"

"We don't know! We found you down river, that's all!" Sakura said, trying to stand up from the kneeling position she was in. "Naruto, please... just settle down. We'll find Hinata, then escort you both home."

"To hell with Konoha. Tell them to prepare themselves, Kaimugakure has just declared war on them, with me as Utsurokage." The room exploded then, and his chakra dissipated, leaving a heavy, water-like sogginess behind. Naruto walked up the concealed ditch, and as he walked towards the nearby river he could have sword he heard, "I think I just shat myself...."

He laughed himself dizzy as he walked upriver, until a blur of motion came into view. He could somehow feel a sense of welcoming. That had to be Hinata.

* * *

Two kunai embedded themselves into Naruto's shoulders, making him cry out in pain. A sudden flash of movement made Naruto half-turn his head to look behind him, but never went that far. A sudden explosion of chakra and pain ripped through his back, and he knew he had fallen victim to the Hyuuga's Jyuuken style. But why would Hinata do that to him?

_Bam Bam!_, two shots to his kidneys and Naruto was now on his knees. His attacker didn't seem to want to waste any time. _Thwack!_, now he knew that this Hyuuga meant business, because he felt at least two ribs crack as he skidded across the ground, just a yard away from the river. '_Hinata?'_ Naruto struggled with the thought for a second, before a foot came crashing into his side like a freight train. He was lifted off of the ground, straight over the water, to the other side. It was happening way too fast for Naruto to stop it.

As soon as he slammed into the ground, a terrible pressure and pain slammed into his back. His attacker must have jumped over the river, landing on his knees on Naruto's back. Before Naruto could catch the breath that had just left him, his face was forced into the ground, getting a mouthful of dirt. He could now feel warm breath against his face, and his lungs hurt tremendously and he was beginning to think he'd suffocate to death.

"Been a long time, Naruto. I've been working very hard to make you feel this way. You shamed me in front of my own clan, my own _family," _he must have noticed Naruto's state because he added," hey don't die now, we're just getting started." He pulled Naruto's head out by his hair, then got off of the poor Jinchuuriki, leaving him in a pile of pain, gasping for breathe.

"Remember me?" the attacker said, his voice radiating waves of contempt. Naruto knew that voice, knew why he was attacked, and knew he would be hurting for awhile.

"Y-yeah, I remember you," Naruto gasped, spitting out dirt. He tried to roll over to face his assailant, but was quickly met with a kick to the face. Blood poured from Naruto's nose.

"You bet your sweet life you do. And you'll remember me always, because before I get through...." he trailed off there, leaving Naruto to wonder what horrors he was in store for. He began to gather chakra, but found that he couldn't. '_Dammit_' he thought, then struggled to his hands and knees.

"I'm different, Neji.... I don't need chakra to whip you, and I didn't before, now that I think-" Naruto then got a mouthful of fist, throwing him down, sprawled in the wet grass.

"You were lucky before. I went easy on you." Neji responded coldly, and now Naruto could see him. He was taller, a bit darker in complexion, and had a more toned body. He really had been working for his revenge. Naruto groaned, then began to crawl on his belly towards the river.

"Trying to escape?" Neji walked in front of him, and Naruto looked up. He was _grinning_. "Too bad," he stepped on Naruto's hand and twisted his foot until Naruto couldn't hold his screams any longer. He stepped back, watching Naruto cradle his injured hand, gasping for air. He reared his leg back, preparing to deliver a devastating head injury, until that foot was grabbed, yanking him from his hold on the ground. Whomever had him pivoted their body and sent him hard into the ground.

It was Hinata, and she looked _pissed_. Neji hopped back onto his feet, then dashed at his cousin. She took him head on, diverting his attack, then found her chance. She placed her feet firmly on the ground, poked his outstretched hand to the side, then slammed a fistful of chakra into his ribs. He stumbled back, and she stepped forward, delivering another punch into his gut, He doubled over and she brought her knee up into his head, knocking him back upright with a snap. She swung her open left palm into his chest, blowing blue and red chakra into him, making him stumble back once again.

By this time, Naruto finally got back onto his feet, and, despite his injuries, ran at Neji, jumped into the air, and slammed both feet into his chest. Before Naruto hit the ground, Neji soared into the river with a splash.

"Naruto?" Hinata said, to get his attention. She stared at him, lying open-armed on the grass with a sheepish grin on his face. He really wasn't one to hold onto anger for too long.

"Yeah, Hinata?" He smiled, wiping some dirt from his face.

"Let's not get separated anymore, kay?" And she plopped onto her knees, to look at his wounds. He smiled and relaxed, closing his eyes, letting her scan his body with her All-Seeing-Eyes. "It seems you have a few fractured bones, and some chakra coil damages... but nothing too extensive. Your kidneys are bruised, too. It shouldn't bee anything that the fox can't handle in a max of two days."

"That's good to hear," Naruto said, opening his eyes. She looked sad. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I'd lost you.... I woke up by this river about 3 miles up, and couldn't find you. I was scared I had lost you... forever." She turned her head to hide her tears. Naruto thought he should do something to comfort her, but didn't really know what to do.

"Well, we're together now, aren't we? We're both okay, which is great," he laughed, " I nearly killed my captors when I learned you weren't in the bunker with me. I was scared too, so there's nothing to be ashamed of." He managed to find her hand, and gave it a friendly squeeze. "We'll just have to be a little better at planning attacks is all." He hoped that gave her a little comfort, but wasn't too sure.

"Naruto..., we can't allow them to return to Konoha or our whole cover is blown. We can't have Konoha launching a full scale war on us!" She laughed at her little joke, and when Naruto didn't laugh with her, she got a bad feeling. "Right?"

"Haha... that's funny, because, you see, I kinda declared Wave Country a Hidden Village, and myself as Utsurokage. You can be Kage, too, though...." He said it a little childishly, but looked at Hinata like a boy who was caught stealing a cookie before dinner.

"You what?"

* * *

**A/N**

**Well, there's chapter three, War. Hope you enjoyed that. See you next chapter.**


	4. The Past has Caught Up

"You what?"

Naruto stared at Hinata, his insides frozen stiff. The sound of her voice was so... so _cold_. He couldn't believe that _she_ could make such a tone emerge from those beautiful, full, red lips.

"I, well, I thought...." Naruto was actually frightened. He hadn't thought it out, and now that Hinata had brought it to his attention, he felt down right _stupid._

"Naruto," she said, standing up, " we can't allow them to go back now for sure. If Konoha launches a war on us, we are screwed. Do you understand that? _Screwed!"_ She screamed at the sky, unnerved by her own anger. She walked to the river and looked down at her reflection, noticing that her irises were red and her usually non existent pupil was a slit of lavender. That only infuriated her more, knowing that the Fox was fuelling her anger. But she _was_ angry, nonetheless.

"I realize that, Hinata." Naruto looked a little hurt, and tried to pull himself into a sitting position. After managing that small task, he stared at her trembling back. "We can still get them. They aren't too far away...." Hinata whipped around to look at Naruto, tears of rage welled up in her eyes. Her ears seemed even sharper and keen, the canines of her teeth a little more profound than usual.

"They are probably halfway to Konohagakure by now! And what about Neji? How are we supposed to retrieve everyone that has seen us. And you called for war! Ha! How will we manage when a hundred shinobi march into Wave Country, brandishing their most powerful jutsus and weapons? What will we do when they burn half the land to ashes, and slaughter our people? What, Naruto, what?" Hinata was straight scary now, looking more and more like the Kyuubi.

"Hinata, calm down! Please! Just sit down, and we can talk this over. Plan it out, like we've done for the past few years. When we're together, we can do anything! Remember?" Hinata did remember, and her features softened a bit as she reminisced.

* * *

_Hinata was ten years old, locked in a dank, steel cell. She had just been separated from Naruto after being captured by Rock nins. "Stupid mission..." she sobbed, hugging her knees. She was wearing a ragged jacket that looked like it was pulled from a dumpster. Her black pants were in shreds; the remains of her hitai-ate was clutched in her left hand. "Stupid Naruto...." she sobbed again, giving her legs a squeeze._

_Screams erupted around her, amplified by the steel walls. She covered her ears, crying. 'Naruto-kun...' she whispered in her mind, then looked through the bars. Across from cell was a steel wall with an assortment of torture equipment. 'Where are you?' she stood up, grabbing hold of the cold bars. 'We should have known better than to mess with an A-ranked mission.' she slammed her head into the bars and cried out in pain, falling backwards onto her butt. She pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed again._

_"Heh heh, looks like this one wants out. Maybe we should show her just how much she _doesn't_ want out." the man laughed, then walked in front of the steel bars, brandishing a long, rusty knife. Hinata recoiled, moving as far back as she could, until she was in the corner, pressed hard against the steel wall. The man laughed again. "Now, little girl, why were you and your friend sneaking around our fort? Tell us, and we might just let you go..." the man bellowed with laughter, making Hinata sob harder._

_"Rot in hell," she managed to say, glad she didn't stutter. The man blinked and stared through the bars._

_"Hell? I go there every Friday for poker," he grinned at her, showing off his abnormally long and pointy teeth. Hinata pressed her face into the fold between her knees. If she had a kunai, she thought she would rather kill herself than sit here wondering what's going to happen to her. _

_When she finally looked back up, the man was arguing with a short, rigid looking boy. "The hell do you mean he's gone?" The man bellowed, kicking the small child in the stomach. The boy cried out in pain._

_"Sir, it's like I s-said. The boy you c-captured was in his cell one s-second, and when the g-guard turned to grab his t-tools to begin the... process, the boy was g-g-gone." The boy painfully muttered, looking up at the man holding the rusty knife. The boy suddenly jumped and ran, seeing that the man was about to throw a rage._

_"It seems your friend left you all alone, and we'll have to extract the information from you instead." The man was actually _smiling_. Hinata gave a small whimper, and put herself into as tight a ball as possible. "I don't know how your friend escaped with all of the seals and protections we had around him, but he did, and you might just know how." He stuck the rusty knife into the back of his pants as he began to fumble with his keys. Hinata thought this would be her last chance, so pumped chakra through her body, and got on all fours. _

_As soon as the she heard the click and the bars were rolled into the wall, she launched herself at the man, pumping as much chakra into her open palms as possible. She took him down, grabbed his rusty knife, and plunged it into his arm, embedding the blade deep into the floor. He was pinned down, and she took off running down the damp tunnel. She was barefooted, so she could feel the worn, damp earth beneath her feet. She past many cells, some of them containing moaning captives, but she wasn't going to stop until she was out of here._

_Suddenly she slammed into someone, and began a rapid flurry of jabs, but all were deflected. She suddenly found herself in a warm embrace, holding her limbs from movement. She knew who it was and suddenly her legs became weak and she sobbed into her friend's shoulder. "I feared you left me here to die, Naruto-kun.... But I knew you wouldn't do that to me." She saw him smile, and he grabbed hold of her hand, saying he knew the way out. Something was different was about him, though. His eyes were _green.

_As they ran through many doors and down infinite tunnels, hiding from the eventual guards, a siren finally sounded, but they were making their own paths now. Hinata could vaguely see it happen with her skilled eyes, but was too worn out for it to make a difference. As soon as a hole appeared in a five foot thick steel wall, which had slowly opened up, they jumped through it. They fell about ten feet, landing in a roll on some hard-packed dirt. Kunai fell all around them, and they were soon twisting and contorting their bodies through the onslaught of weapons, not wanting to be ripped apart._

_As soon as they were in the clear, they ran in their odd way as fast as they could, not stopping for anything. Their mission was complete, the information was gathered, and they were together again. As long as they could get together and not lose faith in each other, there was nothing they couldn't do. This thought was only fortified when Naruto mentioned it himself later that night._

_

* * *

_

Hinata's fox-like features dulled, and she plopped herself down by Naruto again, ashamed of her anger. "I'm sorry..." she whispered, moving closer to Naruto, and huddled up next to him. He leaned against her a little and put his arm around her.

"We'll get through this like we got through everything else. Nothing will stand in our way. We will seize our dreams, and no one will tell us how to live, or what to do." Naruto said soothingly. Hinata smiled and closed her eyes, trying to relieve herself of worry and stress. This lasted all of ten seconds, before a melancholy voice spoke up.

"Having fun, are we?" It came from behind them, and they were both up in a fighting position instantly. They could have been dead, but their intruder had let himself be known. But still, sneaking up behind them is saying something.

"H-Hatake Kakashi?" Hinata said, astounded. Naruto was pretty surprised as well. Kakashi's mask seemed to be unscarred, but the rest of his clothes and himself seemed to be in bad shape.

"I had underestimated you, Hinata, and I am sorry. I went easy on you, thinking I could convince you to come home. I see now that this is impossible," Kakashi droned, sounding worse for the wear. He suddenly kneeled down, which utterly confused the two Kaimu ninja. "I am pledging my allegiance to your village." Both of the Jinchuuriki were shocked, and their mouths stood agape. Suddenly three more people appeared on either side of Kakashi, kneeling as well.

"Us, too," said Sakura, Sasuke, and Kiba in unison. Now they really threw Hinata and Naruto for a whirl.

"Y-you want to join us? How can we trust you?" Hinata said, examining each of the kneeling shinobi. Each of the four former Konoha nins took off their forehead protectors, and pulled a Kunai out, slashing a mark through the Konoha sign, then threw them aside. The ultimate sign of rougehood.

"This is great, Hinata! With experienced shinobi on our side, our village can grow even faster. It won't be only us teaching the villagers the shinobi ways." Naruto said, excited. Hinata still looked suspicious.

"But why?" Hinata asked simply enough.

"We admire your plight, and would like to be a part of something as big as this. If we can pull this off, our names could go down in history." Sakura said, gazing at Naruto.

"You would leave your clans to join us? Your whole family?" Hinata said, doubtful. Their faces darkened, all except Kakashi and Sasuke.

"It's simple enough for me. I have served Konoha faithfully, going on many missions, and have met no one who could bring me down as you have, Hinata-sama. And my whole family is dead. My allegiance rests with you." Kakashi said, his right eye smiling again.

"Same for me.... I know you can make me stronger a lot faster than Konoha can." Sasuke's voice droned, his face all serious-looking. Kiba and Sakura were silent.

"Well, maybe Kiba and I could convince our families to come over to our side. We are the youngest, but I'm sure they would respect our decisions." Sakura said thoughtfully, and Akamaru gave a yelp of agreement as Kiba nodded.

"It's too risky to let them know, and too risky because Konoha would get suspicious." Hinata said, staring at the two. "It's all in, or nothing at all." Both Sakura and Kiba looked at each other, Akamaru gave a low whine. They each nodded. Hinata smiled a little, "In due time, they will see the importance of this village, and will join us. Until then, we are the village hidden by nothing. This is outright bold, and will probably upset many nations for the cockiness," she grinned and cocked her head to the side," but "who cares" is the village motto. Be sure to live by it." All four new Kaimu ninja nodded.

" All right then, first thing's first. Kakashi, seeing as you're the most experienced ninja, you will be our lead trainer in the village. We need to begin the education of ninja immediately. Hinata and I will write our village's Scroll of Techniques, and will begin the construction and industrialization of Kaimugakure. Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, you have your first mission. Capture Hyuuga Neji and bring him back to the village. We will have a cell waiting for him there at our stronghold. Any objections?" Naruto said, looking around. There weren't any objections. "Then let's begin!"

Each ninja leaped into the air, off to their assigned duty. Kaimugakure was well on its way to becoming a full fledged Hidden Village.

* * *

Naruto fell back onto his bottom, looking up at the Chakra-enhanced wall that bordered the new village. He had began taking money out of his own account to pay for extra work. Things were well on their way. The hundred Shadow Clones began to disappear from exhaustion, and Hinata sat beside the real Utsurokage.

"Long day?" she said happily, and he smiled. Naruto nodded and formed a seal, pushing out another 20 clones to begin more construction work. He had an idea about routing hidden tunnels throughout the village. Each Naruto, besides the real one, charged up their eyes. Each of them had an elaborate chart that Naruto had schemed up to plan exactly what each clone was to do before they ran out of chakra.

The Utsurokage fell back in exhaustion. "We've been working for 12 hours straight. I mean, the mansion wasn't hard to turn into a full blown fortress, and I'll admit the wall was a little challenging, but to make 20 clones use that eye technique... to dig holes, no less!" He laughed, closing his eyes. Chakra exhaustion usually didn't last long with these two, but Naruto was beginning to think even the Kyuubi was starting to feel it.

"But just look at how much we've got done! And each villager approves wholeheartedly! They trust us so completely, as they should. We have to have their loyalty to keep this thing going. Half the villagers have been working rigorously honing their ninja skills. They aren't half bad." Hinata lay down beside him, snuggling up to his side, blushing deeply. She hoped she wasn't being too bold in her actions.

Five Hinatas walked up to the two to report on their classes, then walked away. "Kakashi's a really hard worker. We'll have to give him a raise," Hinata laughed and stared up at the stars. It was really early in the morning, and she was beginning to feel the fatigue. "I think we'll be able to rest in a couple of hours, after we are sure our defenses are solid. The hollow parts in the wall were ingenious, Naruto...." She almost fell asleep. His body was so warm and comforting.

"We are going to start recruiting for our village tomorrow, right?" Naruto yawned and Hinata nodded. They had planned to send out word of a new village and recruit different sorts of merchants and specialists to establish an economy. The sooner they got everything going, the better.

They needed people to make weapons, but needed miners to get the material, and needed to start constructions of even more buildings. Most of Wave Countries economy was based on fish, but all that had to change. Fishing would be a main supply of wealth, but they needed other services. As soon as they set out word, they were sure people would come join them.

"That reminds me, the villagers have begun to form ninja clans already! I suppose a little change in a place livens things up a bit, and everyone wants to be active in the reform. But, I'm sure you realize, even at this pace, we cannot construct a Hidden Village in a day. It'll be a gradual progress, and you need to realize that. You cannot work yourself to death, okay, Naruto? We've been careful enough to not let any other Hidden Villages get word of it. But, after Konoha's ninja do not return, they will send specialized scouts, mostly Hyuuga due to the missing member." Hinata began to reflect on Neji, who now resided in a chakra suppressed cell under their fortress, with a special blindfold she designed to be nearly impenetrable by even Hyuuga eyes. It was a good thing he was drugged, though. It wouldn't be too inhumane to keep someone locked up when they're aware of it.

"And _you_ know that we cannot be so easy on our enemies, now, don't you, Hinata-chan?" Naruto said with a reassuring smile and she nodded, sort of startled that he predicted her thoughts so accurately.

Naruto suddenly stood up and took off, Hinata quickly on his trail, wondering what he was up. Hopping from roof to roof, Naruto looked around quickly. "One of my Clones was just destroyed in this area, and it wasn't an accident." he explained briefly, before diving into an alley.

Naruto was suddenly on his opponent, wrapping him or her in steel wire. He gave a swift knee to the aggressor's back, making _her_ grunt in pain. Picking her up by the air, Naruto through her against a wooden wall of a building, putting a kunai to her throat. "Who are you?" he snarled, showing off his abnormally sharp teeth.

Deep blue eyes that almost looked black stared at Naruto, and he was shocked. Her eyes were so _pretty._ "Ooh. Naruto Uzumaki! You don't remember me?" the girl flashed a grin and Naruto remembered.

* * *

_Naruto clutched at his chest, stumbled a bit, then fell. He dropped the bound body he had been carrying. It was night, the ground was soft and wet, carpeted with dead leaves. The bare trees around the immediate area seemed so _dead_, so _lifeless_. Most things did right now, anyway. He let out a cry of pain, then crawled towards the person he had been carrying. It was a child about his age, female. The Kazekage's daughter. A special mission that he and Hinata had taken at age 11, hoping to get a quick, big payload. They were forced to take precautions, though. A special device that they were forced to swallow that would go off after a certain amount of time. They had only two days to get the Kazekage's daughter to their employer, and time was running short._

_Naruto gazed into the girl's eyes, and felt a little sympathy. Earth Country had hoped to get some leverage on Wind Country by taking their Kazekage's daughter, purely to make Wind Country listen to them, they were told. Naruto knew that was bullshit, but a mission was a mission._

_"It's not like we can't use the money, Naruto. In fact, we need this if we are going to takeover Wave Country." Hinata had told him, trying to pep him up for the invasion of the Kazekage's compound. Naruto had held onto his precious idea for a Hidden Village all throughout their ordeal. Now he didn't even know where Hinata was, but somehow _felt_ that she was all right._

_The girl, as it turned out, had been the real problem. She was an extremely advanced shinobi for her age._

_Naruto coughed up some blood. It must be a warning from Rock Country, "Dammit, I need to get up." Naruto struggled over to the figure lying so helplessly on the ground. If she wasn't gagged and drugged so immensely, he thought she might spit at him and attempt to bite him._

_Naruto was trying to not express his regret of taking her, but he had no time. He had to get her back and tell Rock Country to deactivate the devices. They would then eventually be digested, and nature would take its course eventually._

_He got back on his feet and roughly picked up his captive. He took a running start, then jumped into a tree and proceeded to hop from branch to branch to shorten his arrival time. If he could get there fast enough, he could stop the device, collect the money, and search for Hinata. If he didn't... well, that was not a very happy subject for him._

_The drug must have been wearing off, though. He could feel her begin to struggle, then it progressed to an outright thrash as she strengthened. She slipped from his grip in mid-air, making him panic. Damaged merchandise was even worse than none at all. as she began he decent to the ground, he could see her start to pull free fro her restraints. as soon as Naruto hit a tree, he launched himself at the ground, grabbed his uncooperative merchandise, then landed in a crouch. He could hear his knees pop as he landed, but it wasn't too painful. He dropped the girl and decided he would have to knock her out. _

_When Naruto stood up straight, the girl was finally free. A quick kick to the area where men were most vulnerable brought Naruto to his knees, convulsing in pain. She must have pulled the gag out because she was now screaming at him, something along the lines of "how dare you." She kicked out at him but he caught her foot and pulled her off her feet. He didn't let go, though, but stood up. He ignored the protesting kicks and screams. He began to drag her onto the progressively clearing, rocky ground. They were finally out of the cover of trees, and in a vast expanse of dark dirt. He threw her foot down, then turned towards her._

_"Shut up. You're coming whether you like it or not. You can come independently, or by force. I don't care which. Choose." Naruto glared daggers at her, emanating as much dominance and control as he could. His voice was strong and demanding._

_"I just want to go home!" She screamed at him and scrambled to get away. Before she knew what was happening, she was being dragged again. "Pleeeeeease! Let GO!" se yelled and yelled, but to no avail. This kid was determined. Suddenly, she changed tactics._

_"Please..." she whimpered, trying to look as scared and helpless as possible. Naruto dropped her foot and looked at her, shocked. Suddenly, tears were streaming down her face, "_Please._..."_

_Naruto was stunned and had no idea how to react to this. Then he found his steel and threw her over his shoulder, moving quicker than before. This action was met with much protest, but he didn't care now. Time was running out._

_"It's you or us." Naruto said, streaking across the boring landscape. _

_"I'd rather it be you!"she spat, pounding on his back. Naruto could feel pain welling up in his chest, and knew he only had a few minutes, but Iwagakure was insight._

_"I'm sorry about this." He had said, walking up to the Iwa gates. She screamed again and he dropped her, glaring down at her. The Iwa nins were descending from the highpoints of the wall to retrieve what they ordered. Naruto quickly put his mask on, stood stock still, and waited._

_"Hello, Mr. U." the Iwa nin who quickly bound the girl said. The other had a remote control in his hand. He pressed a button and the pain Naruto had experienced was gone. Naruto was handed a black briefcase. The sleek angles of the case had a certain style. "Thank you for your service, and we are sorry if you lost your comrade." Naruto nodded solemnly, glancing at the girl who was giving him a final, pleading look. He inwardly shuddered._

_"Of course, you'll tell no one." the guy who handed Naruto the payment said, and Naruto nodded._

_"There's nothing to tell." Naruto said, then took out the Iwagakure shinobi with a quick jab to the throat, and the second with a hard knee to the forehead. The girl landed in the dirt with a thud, and Naruto didn't bother removing her bounds. He just picked her up and put her over his shoulder again, then took off. He soon found a roughed-up looking Hinata in the nearby woods, and they debated on what to do with the girl who claimed to be named Temari._

_"We can't just release her, can we? " Hinata had asked, sitting against a tree, fatigue in her eyes. Naruto shrugged, but Temari nodded fiercely, still in her binds. So they had brought her back to Wind Country's border, which had sent out several search parties for the missing girl. They apologized, but their attempts to make amends fell on deaf ears._

_Since then, Iwagakure has been uneasy with Sunagakure. Violent fights have broken out all over Bird Country, which lies between the two quarreling countries. Naruto had forgotten about that vital mission, and even the death warrants that had made it into Iwagakure's bingo books._

_

* * *

_

"You're still holding a grudge on me for kidnapping you?" Naruto said, astonished. The girl smiled.

"Ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome?"

**

* * *

**

**Well, my End of Course exams have been coming up, but there's no excuse for such a late update. Sorry about that. And for those of you who do not know, Stockholm Syndrome is when a person falls in love or feels affection for their captors. Also, I need someone that may be able to read over my chapters, tell me to make changes, and correct my horrid grammar. If you would like to do so and feel you have a fairly adequate knowledge of the English language, then message me with your e-mail enclosed. Thank you. (No biggie if no one wants to, I'll struggle through)**

**See you in the next chapter.**


	5. The Blonde Beastie

"Ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome?" Temari asked, moving her head forward despite the kunai against her throat. Naruto had heard of it, but didn't exactly understand the full implications of such a saying.

"Not really," Naruto asked, cocking an eyebrow. He moved the kunai back a little, so as not to cut her throat. What was she doing, leaning so close in? Hinata stared at them with a sort of shocked horror.

"Then let me explain..." and her lips met his. Her eyes were closed, her body now trying to force it's way into his arms. Naruto's eyes were completely open, though, and he heard a sharp intake of breathe come from behind the two lip-locked shinobi. He stood there, stunned, fighting a primal instinct to kiss back. '_Hinata' _he thought, not really knowing why. He just knew it would not be right to do this in front of her. He backed off, releasing his hold on her. She stumbled forward a bit, her eyes half opening, a kind of hurt expression flashed across her face.

"What are you doing?" Naruto's heart hammered, his voice was uneasy. He really _had_ to fight that instinct to kiss back. He didn't now why he did, though. It was just too confusing for the poor boy.

"Well, i thought I kissed you." she said, putting a hand on her hip. She looked him over and smiled, "And I could tell that you wanted to kiss back." Naruto was puzzled, wondering how she could tell so easily. Then the blonde sand-nin cocked her head towards Hinata, "Do I have competition or something?" This threw Naruto off completely. A fleeting glimpse of satisfaction crossed Temari's eyes, and Naruto turned around. Hinata was gone.

"Hinata?" Naruto yelled out into the starry sky, looking around. The buildings around them seemed desolate and lonely, making him feel the same way. The stone structures formed an alley, that ended with a bright lamp-light at each end. Naruto sighed, then glanced at Temari, noticing she was advancing on him.

"Well, well. we're all alone..." She pressed a hand on his chest, pushing him up against a stone wall of one of the buildings. He was only slightly taller than her, so she had no trouble tilting her head up and pressing her lips to his one more time. Naruto's instincts really dogged him this time, and he thought he was about to slip, and just go ahead and kiss her back. Then he herd a muffled sob, and just as his eyes were closing, and he was leaning into it, too. His eyes snapped open and he saw a glint of Hinata's eyes on the building's roof across from him. '_Dammit.'_ he thought bitterly, just as she disappeared. He gently pushed Temari away. "I can't..." he said, looking back into her face.

"And why not?" She pouted a little.

"Don't you think you're a little out of line, barging into my village and kissing the Utsurokage?" Naruto said, trying to sound as in-control as he could.

"Well, I felt you getting into it, too." she said, accusingly. "What stopped you?" She looked behind her, examined the wall, then tilted her head up and examined the roof. The Utsurokage got the feeling that she knew _exactly_ what stopped him. Even if he didn't quite know, himself.

" I gotta go. Just... stay out of trouble." He didn't know if this was some kind of reconnaissance of Sunagakure, but he also wanted to believe that her feelings were sincere. Then Hinata popped into his mind, and he sighed. He must have hurt her in some way, as much as he had not intended to. There was forces at work here that Naruto just didn't understand. He formed a seal with one hand, spared a glance at the slender blonde girl, then disappeared.

Temari smirked. '_Things haven't even got interesting yet, Naruto-kun.'_

* * *

Naruto sort of _morphed_ from the various surroundings. Colors blurred, moved around, then started to melt together. Then there he was. It was just like the Konoha justus where the ninjas disappeared into a swirl of leaves. Just cooler, Naruto thought. More discreet, he thought as well.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked, looking around his fortified living room. Ninja supplies littered the floor, scrolls were stacked everywhere. The only window in the room was overlooking the village. He walked over piles of boxes, as well. He had been emptying Hinata's and his 'bank' of currency, to provide vital supplies for the village. Important food and water rations, ninja-intended clothing with various uses, and weapons. Lots and lots of weapons.

"Hinata?" he asked again, moving into the next room. The kitchen. The cabinets, he knew, were stockpiled of different assortments of Ramen, vegetables, and... chocolate. Though Hinata was embarrassed to admit it, she had told Naruto she had a soft spot for chocolate. She never got much at her home, and if she had it, she rarely indulged herself by taking a bite. He had teased her about it, but soon found out it wasn't very nice to do so. He looked around the spotless kitchen, then walked over to the fairly large island in the middle. To his left was a sink, a spotless counter, and a stove not too far away. Cabinets lined the walls, above and below. Various supplies were stored in these particular cabinets, though. The ramen and chocolate was kept under the Island, separated from everything.

To Naruto's right was the refrigerator, deep freezer next to that, and a black and white counter lining the rest of the wall. He wondered if he should get a piece of chocolate to cheer Hinata up once he found her, but decided against it. He didn't want to chance making her feel worse.

So, Naruto moved on to the next room. It was just a hallway, crossing from one end of the fortified mansion, to the other. A stairwell led up to the next level on the opposite wall. He walked to them, then called up, " Hinata?"

He made his way up, then got to the top. He looked both ways. He was in a hallway with various doors on each wall. The hallway was a dead end down on the right end, but at the left end it just opened up into a different room that was empty. Naruto and Hinata hadn't decided what to do with that one just yet.

He walked down towards the left end, knocked on a door, and asked timidly, "Hinata?" It was her room, so he supposed she would be in there.

"Go away," he heard a choked, miserable reply. It was rare to see a door closed, especially to keep out either Hinata or himself.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" He tried the handle- it was locked.

"Just go away, Naruto-kun..." Hinata seemed to have a hard time ending his name with the usual suffix that accompanied it.

" Don't be that way, Hinata. Let's just talk this over. If you don't want to have Temari around, that's fine." Naruto said, wondering why Hinata disliked Temari. He was starting to think that another Kunoichi around would actually please Hinata.

"You just don't understand!" Hinata said hoarsely, opening the door. Naruto noticed her eyes were a little red and puffy, and she had a nightgown on that flowed neatly over her body. "You just don't see certain things, Naruto-kun. It's cute, but it's hurtful." She spoke softly, looking at her bare feet. When she looked up, seeing the confused look Naruto wore, she just turned around. "Just leave me alone for a bit, okay?" Then she closed the door with her foot.

Naruto stood there, slightly stunned. What couldn't he see?

* * *

Naruto trudged along the sidewalk, hands in his pockets. It's been a week since Hinata stopped talking to him, so he just walked throughout the village on the occasions that he began to feel lonely. He was glad that the village was taking its shape quite nicely, but he was saddened by Hinata's distance. Though she helped immensely with the modifications and add-ons of the village, she wouldn't talk to him or just seemed to vanish when he approached her.

Their was a beginning of a Utsurokage tower in the center of the village. It was worked on non-stop by dozens of clones. Naruto thought he had never had a longer week in his life. As soon as he closed his eyes, he was pulling himself back up to start more work. People were flowing in from everywhere, wanting to be a part of something as big as this. He felt sure that the other villages had heard about the new one that was rising so quickly, but he thought they brushed it off like an annoying bug.

He sighed. Though he hadn't seen Temari since that night, he was sure she was still around. Perhaps biding her time, waiting for Naruto to finally want to see _her_. He shook his head and chuckled. Life was so confusing.

"Oi! Utsurokage! I need some clarifications on these building plans- you see, here..." The enthusiastic young man that wore glasses ran up behind Naruto and pointed at a certain part of the blueprints he was holding, talking fast. It was about the Tower. The innovations Naruto had planned out for it had seemed a bit drastic and overkill, but the workers saw it as an epiphany. The starting point on how everything in the future would be built.

"And, I must compliment you, Utsurokage-sama," the young man flustered, remembering how he had called out to his leader. It was hard treating a kid like the title he held, "Your plans to have the tower fortified by chakra is ingenious. I must admit, I was a little skeptical at first, but after reading out your plans you had given to me, I was amazed. I didn't think that it would be possible to actually _build_ chakra coils inside of a building, then charge them up. It's amazing, and to reinforce the materials with yours and _Miss_ Utsurokage's chakra to strengthen it, no less. With the Lady Kage helping us, we should have it complete in no time. Just tell me a few things..." And he went on and on like that, eager to hear how Naruto thought of it. Naruto had simply replied that Medical Ninjutsu inspired him, and that was it.

The young carpenter had black hair that hung in short spikes around his hairline, brown eyes with splashes of leafy green, and a smile that looked like it was used often. His clothes consisted of a black trimmed red shirt, and same styled work pants. Fingerless gloves donned his hands, spikes along the knuckles. Naruto didn't know why this was the sort of thing a carpenter should wear, but it seemed to suit him. "I'll see you later, then, Utsurokage-sama!" And he took off.

Naruto turned around and sighed. He didn't really know if there was going to be any bad effects from excess amounts of chakra in buildings, but was sure they were minimal. Besides, one can only discover something if he attempts to discover it.

So he walked down the lane, happy villagers working all around him. He even saw a few of his clones. It was so different here, so much more happy. These people didn't know who he was, bt that was for the better. He could start off a new, become the true hero he was supposed to be.

"Hey there, Naruto-kun!" A sly voice whispered, just as a pair of arms slipped around his waist, and soft lips pressed against the side of his face. Naruto could immediately feel his face burn up and he felt as if he almost jumped out of his skin.

"T-Temari?" Naruto's shocked voice said, and he heard a low sound almost like a _purr_ to confirm it was she.

"Sorry about breaking you and your little purple haired friend up, but I just couldn't keep myself away any longer." Her lips brushed his ear as he spoke and he could feel her body pressed tightly against his back.

"Your story sounds a little flimsy to me," Naruto said coolly, slipping out of the blonde Sand-nins grasp. He turned around and looked at her, noting her strong posture.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to trust me," she purred, a seductive grin on her face. She advanced onto him but he backed off.

"Trust is something you have to earn," and the blond Kage turned his back on her, then strolled down the lane. _'I can't let Temari get in the way of a friendship that I cherish. That I need. She was the only one who would accept me, so I need to show her that my faith is with her.'_ It's just too bad he didn't know how.

* * *

Hinata's hand slowly worked with the chakra coil linings. She'd have to place them correctly, or else it would be a major mess-up. She sighed, finishing up the last bit of lining. Later she and Naruto would have to stand together and pump their chakra into the tower, because their chakra was always strongest when they were close together.

She put her hands on her hips and looked at her handiwork. Not too bad, especially for an unprecedented innovation to a building. Today she had decided to keep her hair down, which reached the small of her back. Her outfit had been changed today as well. She wore a white, frilly skirt that hang loosely around her thighs. A white, sleeveless blouse hugged her upper body. She was trying to get more noticed by Naruto, even though she had avoided him. Mostly because she was embarrassed to show herself in such clothing, especially Naruto.

She trudged along no path in particular, always looking down, deep in thought. She had hear occasional greetings, though most people didn't exactly recognize her without her usual appearance. A few whistles and wolf calls were made, but as soon as she looked up, her whit-lavender eyes revealed, everyone in the immediate area seemed to disappear.

She shook her head, sort of satisfied with herself. A smirk played across her face and she resumed her thinking, not caring where her feet took her. Until she bumped into a particular blonde.

"Watch it," the blonde said as she was bumped back. Temari. How could one girl piss Hinata off so much? Hinata looked up and glared not daggers, but nuclear _warheads._

_"_Is that anything to say to the Lady Kage?" Hinata whispered vehemently, wanting so much to just deck this bimbo in the face. Hinata couldn't remember being so angry at any one person.

"Oh, it's you." Temari smiled, showing off white, straight teeth. Hinata wondered if there was any particular reason that this blond tyrant was wearing a white kimono with red trim. It looked great, and that just made Hinata even angrier.

"Just stay away from me. Don't you think you've done enough to hurt me?" Hinata asked, a glint of red passed over her eyes.

"Hurt you? But I have the utmost respect for the Great Hyuuga vigilante!" Temari closed her eyes and held her arms open, then did a twirl. "What a wondrous village you created, too. Never seen anything like the modifications that have been done, and so quickly!" The dark-eyed former sand-nin said. Or was she really a former sand-nin? Hinata had been thinking on that.

"Like you didn't know I have... affection for Naruto." Hinata closed her eyes. Affection? That was an understatement if there ever was one. Her love for him was like a weight on her heart, and an air balloon attached to her stomach. Every time she saw him her stomach did flips, though they became less frequent as she became more accustomed to being around him. But with such intense feelings for the boy, would they ever go away?

"Aw, does little Hinata have a crush? He's just your friend. He told me he l-"

"Don't say anymore!" Hinata screamed, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"-oves me. Has he ever said he loved you, Hinata-_sama_?" Temari's smile was flawless, so concrete. Hinata stared at that smile, trying to find some fault, some kind of fault that would tell if she was lying. She couldn't find anything, and that made a great pain erupt inside her. She just had to believe that Naruto was more deep than that. She knew he wouldn't instantly love this girl that just hopped into his life.

"Just shut up, and leave this village. I'll make you pay for messing with us. Naruto doesn't like girls like you! He's a good person, not some shallow sex-driven moron!" Hinata pushed past Temari, then just kept walking. She heard a snicker come from behind her, but just pushed on. After all, her plan to get rid of the blonde tyrant was already formulating in her head.

* * *

**Well, that's just to end the chapter. Sorry that it's short. I've been busy, but I promise to get this story going again. See you in chapter six.**


	6. Kaimugakure

Hinata slumped against the wall of the Kage tower. She could feel the whole village glow with power. The glow would go away soon, and all of the energy would be stored or used. Naruto already passed out beside her, and she could faintly hear cheers from the villagers. The hollow parts in the village's wall would be flowing with an invisible, fiery electric field by now. If anyone tried to get in by breaking through, they would meet an early demise. The interconnected structures of the village would draw power off of the chakra, which would expand and multiply thanks to the unique properties of the three chakras that now swirled throughout the whole village.

Clones were stationed all around the wall, monitoring the immigration flow. The word was out, and everyone wanted in. Shinobi, tired of corrupt villages. Villagers, tired of not having a place to expand. There were so many new opportunities within the village, and on it's borders. Letters had been sent out, declaring Wave Country a hidden village, and that it was expanding it's borders. This was completely unheard of, everyone was outraged, but no one knew what to do. Just how powerful was this new village, and it's leaders? Everyone knew where wave country was, and everyone knew that the village's name meant it was a village hidden by nothing. Who would do such a stupid thing?

* * *

"Hokage-sama, this new village has to be stopped! It's newly drawn borders are outrageous! We cannot have them taking Fire Country land, especially bordering the ocean! What will we do? The Lords of the lands are already sending in complaints, and asking for war!" A bald Elder of the Council said, rising from his seat in the smoky circle in the dark room.

"It is most undesirable to ask for war. We do not know the capabilities of this new village. From what our reports and scouts tell us, waves of ninja are leaving villages to join this erratic movement. Some even say that the leader is a vicious demon from hell, plotting world domination. Though I do not believe this, we have no clue of his powers." A Hyuuga elder spoke up, looking into the Hokage's eyes with a cold, calculating indifference.

"I think we should arrange a diplomatic meeting with Kaimugakure's leaders. It could not hurt to give them the land, as long as we gain a strong, new ally. I hear their economy is becoming strong, and fast. Their rich deposits in minerals and fish can make them phenomenally rich. They could help us out in times of war and mayhem." An Aburame elder spoke, showing no emotion as he did so.

"They're too bold and cocky. We should launch a demolition crew, and crush them for their arrogance!" A fairly large member of the Juggernaut clan said. The Akimichis weren't happy about the loss of the fish trade.

"QUIET!," The Third spoke, rubbing at his temples. He was tired of this bickering. He knew all about Kaimugakure, he'd known for years. He saw what would happen in his crystal ball. He knew who the leaders were. He knew everything, and was tired of hearing about it. "Kaimugakure is a village now. They will be treated as so. We will not underestimate them, for they have revealed themselves to the world, practically asking for an attack. The rest of the villages feel the same as we do, and will not attack just like they will not. I will be visiting the village soon, with an ANBU escort. That is all, and I will update you on the situation when I return." The Hokage then left, and went back to his office with a smile on his face. '_Well done Naruto, you have every village scared.'_

* * *

"BANZAI" Naruto screamed for the third time, diving off of the high village wall. And once again, villagers gasped as he headed toward the ground at a suicidal speed. And once again, the buzzing chakra around the wall reacted, and he bounced back into the air. This was just an unforeseen perk that happened to make Naruto very happy. The village thrived on Hinata's and his presence, and in a seemingly mutual experience, the village charged Naruto and Hinata. All was going well so far.

Hinata sighed, then laughed as Naruto seemed to float to the ground, surrounded by a dense, pillowing chakra. "Naruto, we have to be serious. We are the leaders, and the village counts on us." Hinata's form was straight, and her tone was a no nonsense one. Naruto laughed, and Hinata laughed with him.

"Kakashi is getting to you, eh?" Naruto said, folding his hands behind his head, smiling a radiant smile. His black flak jacket covering his chain mail-styled shirt, and his green camo pants seemed to suit him well. Hinata herself wore a form fitting black crop top, showing her lean abs, and black jogging pants. She laughed at his joke.

"But he does have a point," she said, looking down at some papers she was holding. The village buzzed around them, buildings were being erected, and a general 'new' feeling seemed to be in the air. "Some villagers are dedicated to making new ninja clans. Ninja from other countries are being really helpful with training everyone. A few clans that haven't dedicated their allegiance yet have shown up with considerable power. They were talking of some kind of prophecy, and that it was being fulfilled..."

"Yeah yeah, the village is doing great. Listen, about that eye technique, I've thought of a name. The Jouchaku no Jutsu. Sounds good eh? I figure there's no better word to describe how it effects the targeted area. I know there are some things that can't be evaporated, mostly because of chakra, but it's a pretty powerful technique. Even if it can't really be used on other ninja. I think it should be a High A-class, or S-class technique." He said, as they began to walk down the street, heading towards the middle of the village. It had been a week since they had finished the chakra coils and modifications, and charged them up.

"Yes, yes. That sounds great, Naruto-kun." She glanced down at the papers and frowned. "It's just, there are a few problems. Kages all over the world are wanting to meet with us, and that poses a problem. If they see that Kaimugakure is being run by two children, they'll instantly launch attacks on us to claim all of our land. We could start a World War if all the Kages and Lords just decide they want to see us." She looked over at him, noticing he didn't seem too worried.

"Hinata-chan, what's the point of worrying? They're scared shitless! Excuse my language, but if they were going to attack, they would have done so by now. It's simple, we just won't see them. They'll have no choice but to wait. And if anyone shows up uninvited, they'll get fried by the wall. I never thought our chakras would mix in such an awesomely destructive, _and_ productive way. Lighten up, Hinata. Nothing can grab hold of our dreams now. Our village is thriving, and everyone wants in on this! It's totally great." He grinned at her, then stopped walking. There was a Ramen shop close by, and the smell was alluring. The dazed and longing expression he wore was obvious.

Hinata sighed, but she saw his point. So, they decided to have lunch.

* * *

"Sakura, please, you don't have to..." Sasuke breathed, and he could feel some sweat slip down from his brow. He gasped as she pressed harder, her hands working in ways he never thought possible. He could practically feel her blush on his bare skin, though his eyes were closed. A moan escaped his lips, and he felt suddenly overcame with an ease and relaxation as she worked on him. He suddenly didn't care, he really needed this after a hard morning of work.

"It's fine Sasuke-kun," Sakura cooed, working skillfully with her hands. "My mother always told me the fastest way to a man's heart was through his feet. My dad would always come home, moaning how his feet ached. Some men just don't understand how important the feet are to a ninja until they start to hurt." Even though this wasn't the way she pictured herself and Sasuke together alone for the first time, it would work out in the long run.

"Hello? Hello?! Servants, where's my Ramen!?" A loud and hungry Utsurokage called out, making Sakura jump up. Her cap fell off of her head and she picked it up, then smoothed out her apron. This was so demeaning.

* * *

Naruto snickered as a gloomy looking Sakura and Sasuke came to the front. "How's business?" The blond asked conversationally.

"Booming," Sasuke muttered, giving menus out to his two customers. He glanced back at Sakura, who only blushed back, in his direction.

"I think I'll have... A little of everything. Just mix it all in a large bowl, please." Naruto smiled at the two new cooks. He had given them this duty just for kicks, but had promised them that as soon as they started to get some ninja business, they would be ranked as Kaimu ninja.

Hinata had put the papers over her menu, and began working on them with a pen. She mumbled something to Sakura, and the assistant chef began boiling some water. Sasuke went behind the cloth curtain that separated the cooking area from the back. It was a simple, wooden ramen shack. A bar in front of the cooking area, with ten stools. A few tables scattered across the floor, and the entrance was open, no wall or door. A few shingles and signs hung from the overhanging roof.

As the cooks went about their work, Naruto pulled out a kunai and carved his name into the bar. He chuckled and put his tool back. This act earned a glare from Sasuke, but Naruto just blew him a raspberry.

"Hey, pinky. You don't mind if I call you that from now on, right? Anyway, I was thinking, what were you and gloomy over here doing in the back, all alone?" His voice was casual, with just a hint of provoking. The targeted girl turned the shade of her hair, and continued her work. "Hey, Sasuke, what you and your woman do on your own time is none of my business, buuuuut... you may have dissuaded a couple of customers. Now, that's not good business, is it?" The Uchiha gave the blond a half lidded look, then placed a rather large bowl of ramen in front of the starving boy.

"That'll be a hundred Ryu." Sasuke smirked, seeing his customer gasp gave him great joy.

"What kind of service is that? What are you trying to rip off your leader for! I demand a free meal!" Naruto placed his forefinger against the bar, emphasizing his point. It wasn't getting across.

"Laws of supply and demand, Utsurokage-sama. You'll understand when you're older." The Uchiha thief smirked, leaving a wailing Naruto to whimper as he pulled out the cash.

"This better be good," Naruto mumbled.

"Just be grateful I didn't spit in it." The Uchiha walked away with a smirk, counting his money.

* * *

"What do you mean we can't go in? We are the escort for the Hokage of Konoha! All leaders are to be refused admission? This is an outrage! We demand to see your leader! Not available? Don't tell me to get lost you little punk! I am an ANBU Elite, and the Hokage is nearly here. You will allow us admission or else! Don't push me! I'll go in if I feel like it. What do you mean, "yeah right?" Watch me! All these others are going through! Pre-screened? Where? None of my business, huh? I'll show you! Go ahead, call for the gate to get closed. Fine, close the freaking gate! I'll never get through, huh? I'll show you, you runt." And the ANBU did show him. He showed him a fiery lightshow, and a steaming, flying corpse. Yeah, he showed him real well.

* * *

Naruto sighed, "One of my clones just laughed himself to death. An ANBU ninja of Konoha tried to get in, saying the Hokage was coming. I didn't know the old man would show up."

"Where's the ANBU ninja?" Hinata looked up from her cold ramen, and her unfinished paperwork.

"About half a mile away from the wall, in a heap of ashes." Naruto grinned. "That wall sure is something." He took a swig from the drink he had ordered.

Hinata just finished up the papers, said something to Sakura, and Sakura left with the finished work. "Well, let's go greet the old man. he doesn't have to know that we are the leaders. We'll just tell him that the leaders are out. But I have a sneaking suspicion that he knows anyway." The Hyuuga then got up, and headed for the exit. Naruto swiftly drank the remains of his ramen, then gulped down his drink. He took off after his friend.

* * *

From the outside, you couldn't see anything but a magnificent wall stretching for miles. The great barrier was actually glowing with a power and fortitude that made you think twice about plans of invasion. Many ninja from all over the world had rushed here, only to get fried, or to run away scared, reporting a monstrosity of a barrier, separating the village from the outside world. A rumor had spread that if you got too close, you'd go insane. And what made the wall even more terrifying was that it seemed to have just appeared, like the very depths of hell had regurgitated it in the darkness of the night.

Even the Hokage, in his seemingly infinite wisdom, could only hold theories on how it was built, and why it glowed so. And here he was, stepping into the glow of the great structure. He noticed howit bulged and contorted, forming demonic shapes along the wall, detailing battles in a 3-D graphical wonder. All along the wall, he could see these images, glowing three different colors, the dominant being red. He could see armies of ninja, fighting a great, terrible beast, only to be slaughtered. He could make out a great Fox, with tails that seemed to have no end. In all his life, which was an extremely lengthy one, he had never seen such a beautiful, detailed, and fearsome entity posing as a wall.

And now, he was standing at the gates, looking at two familiar, yet much more matured, faces. "Hello you two. Nice to see you again." He had come in his ninja battle armor, out of respect mostly. Hew didn't want to give the impression that he wasn't taking this seriously. the ANBU had formed a V form behind him, and he was in the center, at the point of the V.

"The leaders are not here, can we take a message?" The two children spoke monotonously, in unison, with a creepily cold disposition. He glanced at them, wondering if he had made a mistake in allowing these two out into the world, to fulfill a destiny that could only be obtained by them.

"Naruto, Hinata, are you feeling okay?" He glanced at them suspiciously, wondering if they had gone insane, like some ninja who experience too much, too soon will.

"Fine." Again, they spoke in unison.

Suddenly, the Hokage laughed. "You had me going for a second. You can come out now." The two clones disappeared, and Naruto popped out of the ground in front of the Hokage, sporting a grin. The light and air morphed and deformed, and there was a slight sucking sound. Hinata Hyuuga suddenly appeared beside Naruto, smiling politely.

"You're skills and jutsu have grown. I must say, I have never seen someone teleport like that." He looked at Hinata, and noted a glint of humor in her eyes.

"I never teleported. You may also want to know that inside the village, there are certain forces at work that prevent anyone who doesn't know how to teleport in a certain way from doing so at all." Hinata tilted her head, and her ears twitched. It was immensely cute, but that's when the Hokage understood. She had made him notice it, and he thought he might not have noticed if she had not done so. Her ears were, well, _different._

"I never knew making jutsus would be so easy," Naruto said cockily, folding his arms behind his head. The Hokage began to wonder just how far these two had gone. "I mean, really, possibilities are endless, as long as you understand the element which you are working with. And you may be surprised to know, Hokage, that we have found a different element. One that is unlock able to all, and is the most powerful of all of them. _It's_ possibilities and usefulness are infinite. We have already made jutsu from it, and it has unlocked our minds. To an extent, it gave us the idea to modify our village, and village wall. And I tell you this, with all hopes that you will pass it on. Let everyone know, that if you mess with us, you will mess with an unknown power. Let everyone know, sensei, that Kaimugakure is up for business!" And with that, both of the Kaimu leaders disappeared in their unusual way.

"Well, you heard them, spread the word. I think we just made a new ally, and if anyone messes with Kaimugakure, they mess with us. Kaimugakure is now a full blown village, with unknown power. Do what you can to let everyone know what we know now. I expect to see reports on the New World back in my office in a month. Things are going to be pretty interesting from here on in." And with that address, the twenty or so ANBU vanished, and the Hokage made his journey home. He was glad that Naruto and Hinata were still themselves, just a little more matured.

* * *

"Temari." Hinata said, poking the blonde girl in the back. Hinata was happy to see her yelp, and jump. She had been watching in a nearby tree, wearing her full ninja gear. "Were you spying? Really, what's with that? I'm afraid... you are banished from Kaimugakure for espionage. Goodbye." Though Temari was confident she could beat Hinata, she hadn't been prepared for an ambush. She always kept her fan on her back, and she now saw that the Hyuuga girl was holding it. Hinata smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking abou-" WHAM! Hinata thrust the fan's butt with all her might into Temari's gut. The air left the blonde girl with an audible _whoosh_, and she was sent flying into a tree, many yards away. She hit it, then landed in a heap on the ground. Hinata glared down at the spy. "Naruto and I shall obtain our dreams, and no traitor whore will stop us." She powered chakra into her legs, jumped high into the air, and held the fan above her high. With great speed, she came down onto the unconscious Sand nin, bringing the closed fan down in an arch, straight for the girl's head.

* * *

**Well, sorry about the long delay. My computer got fried after the last chapter during a Thunderstorm, and I had to order a new power supply. On top of that, some bad writer's block. Forgive me.**


	7. Core, Outer Core, Shell

Hinata just stared. She was alone, outside of the village's walls, which were beginning to grow into layers. They had decided two days ago to make three layers to the village. The core, the outer core, and the shell. Those were the names. The core would be the island itself, including the bridge that had gone into construction under the leadership of a bridge maker named Tazuna when the village had started up. It was nearly complete now, and the next wall was underway.

A rough estimate of 600 clones was in on the construction. Hinata and Naruto were beginning to feel depleted, but it was for the best. Though they had rich natural resources, they had a lack of labor to get them, and a lack of funding. Missions were starting to come into the village, but there was a limited number of ninja at their disposal. Things were starting to slow down, and this was displeasing to Naruto. Now here Hinata was, monitoring a couple hundred of her own clones, and a hundred or so of Narutos. They were all working mercilessly on clearing the forests outside of old Wave Country, on their newfound land.

The land was unused, and was only claimed by Fire Country for territorial rights. A letter from the Hokage had eased their discomfort, saying that in exchange for a long lasting alliance with Kaimugakure, they would be happy to grant them the surrounding land. So, now Kaimu had plenty of land to compensate for r all the new people, but they had to first make it habitable, and build the walls. On more than one occasion, the Kyuubi had been called upon for chakra compensation. The last two days had been productive, but exhausting.

Hinata looked down at a clipboard she was holding, which displayed production rates and set tasks. She had planned out everything the day they decided to further construction, and her set time was another week for the second wall. She had set a goal to have the land cleared of trees, use the trees and other resources for construction of walls. They had placed an order for certain materials, and would be receiving every shipment in three days. By then, the skeleton for the walls would be ready, and then they would add the concrete. Chakra coils would course through these walls as well, but would have seals placed along them, to only activate them when the village was on lockdown. Similar seals would be placed on the Core's walls when the outer village was complete. Risk of an invasion was too high to start dumbing down their defenses now.

Land grants would be given to the immigrants to settle and build all throughout the new lands. As long as they built sturdy structures, they would be allowed to have a set amount of land. Hinata expected to have all the land filled out and occupied within a year. The Core would be the economical stronghold and Headquarters for ninja. All ninja would be trained in the Core, and it was expected to be the richest part of Kaimugakure. The second layer, the Outer Core, of Kaimu would be used mostly for it's mineral deposits, and main living area. Merchants would mostly be in the Outer core, along with many shops and services. The last layer, or Shell, would be where fortifications and defense will be at the highest. The wall is expected to hold great amounts of chakra, and will be fortified with different types of alloys and metals. It will be costly, and take the most time to finish; probably a month after the second wall is finished. There will be three gates in this wall, and it will be the only way to enter or exit Kaimugakure.

Though these walls would be huge and monstrous, probably intimidating, they were a welcome idea to the people. It gave them a feeling of security. The great spaces between each wall should be enough to keep the people happy, Hinata thought. They had no plans of restraining the people from growth, and definitely didn't want to make them feel cramped. Workers from all over had brought their specialties to Kaimu, and were already requesting land grants for construction. Hinata's and Naruto's savings and profits from their monopoly were nearly depleted. But they had enough to get a strong economy going, and finish the walls. They would have to rely on a strong-willed people to pick up the slack. In a nutshell, after the village was complete, it would look like a semi-circle, branching out from the main island.

Hinata suddenly jumped out of her thoughts, as a disturbing memory had hit her. A tree had just crushed one of her clones. She sighed, there were plenty more clones to do the work. She was ready to just go to sleep. Though her chakra had been multiplied exponentially since her fusion with the Kyuubi, which had given her an inhuman energy. It had been rough the first week. Her whole body had to go under an abrupt change, and her chakra had been severely bashed. But since then, her own chakra had to work constantly to adapt and suppress the Kyuubi. That exercise multiplied her reserves everyday, and it had helped her a lot. And still, she felt _so_ tired. She wondered how Naruto was doing on his time off. He had really put himself into this, and she feared he might slip into a coma from chakra depletion.

She figured the clones were doing okay, so it was time for a break. With a seal, she suddenly broke from existence.

* * *

Naruto fell to the floor with a thud. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, and looked around his familiar room. He vaguely remembered coming in here last night, and just falling asleep on his bed, still wearing his clothes.

With a hand running through his hair, he yawned and dragged himself into the bathroom to take a shower. The shower was hot, and it left a foggy mist on everything in the room. His hair hung down over his face in individual spikes, and it stayed this way as he walked out of the steamy room and went to his dresser. He pulled out some black boxers and put those on. His longish blond hair still hung down, wet, clinging to the back of his neck and his forehead. He decided to just not care, and continued on through his bedroom door, which was right next to the stairwell, and walked down to the first floor.

It had been a relaxing night. He felt restored and even felt stronger than usual. The buzz of the village, and it's expanding and multiplying chakra was like some sort of soldier pill. It fed his reserves, gave a sort of therapeutic shock to his muscles, and gave him a general feeling of well being. Like, all was well. With such an abundance of energy returning to him so fast, he felt like sparring. He hadn't sparred with anyone in a long while, and the urge was becoming overwhelming.

He was now in the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboard under the countertop island in the middle of the kitchen. His ramen place and it was filled. Every sort of ramen available was in this cupboard, and he was thinking of making a ramen feast. That's when he heard the front door open up, and two pair of footsteps came in.

* * *

"Sasuke, we shouldn't be doing this!" Sakura squeaked, her eyes darting around the room, making sure no one saw them. "This is the Kage mansion! We can't just barge in like this!" Sasuke whipped around and glared at her.

"We can if you just shut up. Dammit Sakura, if he didn't hear us come in, he probably knows we're here now! You saw how tired he was, so he needs his sleep. Besides, we aren't doing anything but adding extra protection while he isn't available. Those stupid guards he had out there were way too drunk to do anything." He spoke as he walked, heading for the kitchen. It was the next room over from the front door. The raven-haired boy walked into the kitchen and immediately began raiding the refrigerator. "Besides, I'm starving! I'm so sick of eating ramen all the time that it's hard to even talk about it." He found plenty of stuff to eat, and began pulling out different meats and condiments for a sandwich.

"But Saaaasuke! What if he catches us?" Sakura said, her palms were pressed tight together and her head was bowed, in a pleading gesture.

"Yeah, what if?" The voice floated up from the other open entrance on the far side of the kitchen. Both of the intruders snapped to attention, and twirled around to see who spotted them. Everything Sasuke had been holding crashed to the floor.

"Aaah! Utsurokage-sama! We were just talking about you! We thought, "Hey, Naruto may be a little hungry when he wakes up, so why don't we go make him a sandwich."" Sakura swiftly said, trying to lie her way out of it. Sasuke nodded dumbly; he had expected Naruto to be out for days.

"Mmhmm, mmhmm... I see." The Utsurokage glanced down at Sasuke's feet. "Well, don't let me stop you. By all means, make a sandwich. In fact, I store ramen under that island there... how about you make it a ramen sandwich? Can't wait to eat it! Ta-ta!" Naruto turned and headed out, waving his hand as he went. He heard Sasuke swear, and mutter something about ramen. This only made Naruto laugh.

* * *

Naruto gazed through the window, watching his people mill around, building and expanding. It was a wondrous site, and it made him very happy. Everywhere, he could see clones of Hinata helping to build, and his own clones. Many buildings on the outskirts of the island were built on top of the water, on poles of bamboo and various other materials to hold it up. Then he looked out to the east, and watched hundreds of clones work on the wall, which was being constructed very fast.

Naruto really hadn't expected Fire Country to be compliant with his demands for more land. He figured that since the land wasn't populated, that he might get it, but he didn't know that _taking_ Fire Country land would actually make them his ally. It was a lucky move, he thought.

But now he was playing a dangerous game, and the stakes were too high to depend on luck. He would squeeze every bit of money he had to strengthen the village, and educate the people who could manage chakra control.

Naruto blinked when he heard running footsteps, climbing the stairs, and his study door slam open. "Naruto!" It was Hinata, and she sounded winded. He turned to look at her, and she was a bit red in the face.

"The great Sannin Jiraiya is at our walls, demanding entrance. He wants to hire us for a mission!" Hinata took a breath and looked at Naruto, gauging his reaction. He didn't seem surprised. He just turned around and looked through the window.

"A mission, huh?" From what Hinata could see of his back, she thought he might be frowning. "We can't leave the village. They need us." This isn't what Hinata thought he would say. The great Sannin Jiraiya was a legend, and for him to look to Kaimugakure for a mission, meant that others would soon follow.

"But, Naruto! We have to! If word gets out that Jiraiya the great Toad Sage is looking to _our_ village for ninja, then others business would boom!" She was kind of upset. Here she was, thinking he wanted to go out on a mission with her again, only to find that he was reluctant. It had been _too long_ since they had been out. And to add to that, they needed money. Badly.

"It's complicated. Also, I have suspicions about Temari. I haven't seen her in days, so she may have left the village. We may have to infiltrate Suna, or capture her before she can say anything about what she has seen." His voice was calm, even, but with a tinge of panic and worry. Hinata smiled.

"It's already taken care of."

"What?" Naruto turned around, and stared at the Hyuuga girl with a look of confusion.

"The day the Hokage came by, I found her spying nearby. I... took care of her." She looked innocent, sinless. Naruto blinked, wondering about what she was implying.

"You _killed_ the Kazekage's daughter?!" Naruto looked at Hinata in horror, and the girl paled. She hadn't thought of that.

"N-Naruto-kun! I-I didn't mean, ahm, she isn't, well, I... She's not dead." Her head hung in shame.

"Well ,then what do you mean when you said it's "taken care of"?" Naruto took a few steps closer to his friend.

"I couldn't do it! I just, I couldn't... No matter how much hatred I had for her, I couldn't bring myself to..." Now tears were stinging her eyes, and she looked up into Naruto's brilliant blue orbs. Finally, her tears spilled over, and her lavender, pupil less eyes glistened. She hated that she was showing so much weakness. Naruto quickly closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug, consoling her with short, sweet words. She whimpered on his shoulder, and her left ear twitched against his cheek. In truth, she had been feeling a little alienated from him since the start of the village. From so many years of being close to him all the time, and going out on missions, she kind of missed it.

"It's okay, Hinata-chan. Everything is fine. When you are ready, tell me what you did with Temari." His right arm hung was folded around her waist, and his left was rubbing small circles on her back. She soon calmed down.

"Well..."

* * *

_Hinata was coming down fast; her clothes were whipping against her in the wind. She was high above the blonde spy, and the fan was clutched in her hands. As she descended, she brought the fan up, raising it high above her head. She was now right above the girl, and she brought the fan down with every bit of intensity that her hatred held. But the blond girl looked up, her eyes dazed, sort of uncalculating. Unknowing that her death was so near. Looking into those eyes, Hinata could see a fellow ninja, doing as she was told, putting her life on the line for her village and family._

_The fan slammed down into the tree Temari was sitting against. With a loud crack, the tree split up the trunk, and the fan broke into scrap wood and splinters. Hinata landed in front of Temari, and threw the destroyed fan aside. Hinata grabbed the collar of the blonde girl, and lifted her off the ground, and held her at ye level. Apparently, Temari was not aware enough to stand up on her own._

_Pain wracked Hinata's mind. Why couldn't she do it? What was holding her back from killing the person who jeopardized their whole village? Why was she so weak?_

_Temari smiled, her voice was soft, "I always thought... my brother would be the one to kill me." Then, her head lolled to the side, her body went totally limp. Family. This girl had a family. And her family obviously had issues. Hinata gritted her teeth, then released her grip on her foe. Why, why, why? _

_Hinata stared at the body, lying in a heap at her feet. She could almost hear the voice of her father, muttering about how weak she was. How her sister was so much better. How deserving Neji was to be clan leader. And something about her uncle._

_That's when her eyes took on a cold, glassy look. A look her father might have been proud of. She thought of all the torture methods she could do with her Clan Abilities, and thought back to the training sessions with her family, and how they had tortured a captured animal, demonstrating how to maneuver chakra into the hands, and slice nerves..._

_Her eyes went wide, and she turned away from the helpless ninja before her. She didn't want to be her father. She didn't want to be her clan. She only wanted to be herself, and to be with Naruto. To help him achieve all his dreams, and to get stronger for him. But did strength mean what her family thought it meant? Power? Intense and unforgiving power? The power to kill, and the power to 'interrogate'? There was a river nearby that cut through the forest.  
_

_She walked over to it and knelt down, to splash some water in her face. When she looked down, she stared into her own eyes. Was her whole body meant for killing? Had her whole existence been laid out, as her former cousin Neji liked to believe, and killing been included in it as a primary factor for existence?_

_With a sigh, she pulled some steel wire from a pouch on her leg. Naruto and herself had always been careful to keep their ninja tools on them. Time to bring in another prisoner._

_

* * *

_

"So, she's in the cells?" Naruto pulled back from Hinata, and she wiped her tears. She nodded. The cells under the Kage fortress were a black bricked, steel walled, Kanji-ridden place. Anyone going down there as a prisoner would probably be staying there for a while. Naruto and Hinata still needed their own master of Interrogation. "Hm... We'll worry about her later. Let's go meet up with the Famous Toad Sage." Hinata nodded and followed him out of the room.

* * *

Jiraiya hopped around on one foot, holding out his hand, and made funny faces. His eyes bulged as he switched to the other foot and hand, and then, out of nowhere, a great Toad appeared, and Jiraiya stood on top of it, and took a bow. The children cheered.

When word had spread that the Great Jiraiya was paying Kaimu a visit, people decided to come out and greet him Children of all ages flooded out to get a glimpse of what they could one day be. And, being the honorable, noble man of integrity that Jiraiya was. He had decided to put on a show, and summon a toad. But instead of making it look too formal and straight-ninja, he decided to dance around, disguising the seals and methods of summoning. When he finally finished and the smoke had cleared, he was greeted with the cheers he deserved. It was a roaring thunder of claps and wolf calls. The old man grinned.

With a _whooshing_ sound, the two leaders appeared. They glanced up at the Sage, all smiles. Jiraiya was glad to see the two children doing okay. After all, nothing could be worse than a child robbed of their youthful innocence. He hopped down from the toad, and it disappeared with a grunt.

"Hi there." He grinned at them, fists on his hips. His long, silvery white hair flowed down his back. His pale green clothes and red cloak looked comfortable, but a little too baggy for a ninja. A scroll was tied to his back, and two red lines ran down his face, one trailing from each eye.

Naruto folded his arms behind his head, and twisted his mouth into an awkward frown. The people around them were all staring, and he didn't like it. Immediately, clones began to usher people back into the village, saying things lie it wasn't safe to stay out for too long. It took ten minutes, and a lot of complaining, but the area was finally cleared. Now, Naruto let out a smile.

"Hey. I hear you want to ask for our help?" Naruto looked up at the man, who was quite a bit taller than Naruto, himself.

"Well, is that any way to treat your new sensei?" Jiraiya grinned broadly. This threw Naruto completely off guard. The blond boy's arms slipped from their position behind his head, and his face fell into a look of surprise. Hinata just squeaked, not knowing how to react.

"S-sensei? But you're from Konoha! Aren't you mad about us taking Fire Country land?" Naruto just stared at that kind face, wondering how the old man felt.

"Hey kid, don't complain." He looked up at the walls, which were about as high as Konoha's own walls, but clearly not as expensive to make. The looked to be made of mostly wood. "Besides, I owe you a favor. If it wasn't for you, the whole Konoha village would have been flattened, and half of Fire Country. You're the reason the Kyuubi was stopped, and you're the reason the world can keep on a-rollin'." Jiraiya thought he was making it seem painfully obvious he was overstating Naruto's importance, but the kid didn't see it. He only grinned and resumed his position with his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, I'm pretty great, huh?" He laughed a little, then stared at the scroll on Jiraiya's back. "Hey, what's that?"

Jiraiya knew what the kid was talking about, but decided to ignore his question. "So, how about letting me see that seal of yours?" He knelt down, and stared expectantly at the boy's stomach. With a grumble, Naruto pulled up his shirt, concentrated some chakra, and the seal appealed. Jiraiya gasped.

"Half of it's gone! This isn't good. The Kyuubi could break out at any moment!" Jiraiya quickly looked up at Naruto, expecting a gasp. He didn't get one.

"I know it's half-gone. Half of the Kyuubi got away." Naruto stared innocently at the old man, who stood up to his full height and waited for an explanation. He waited some more. He soon thought that he wasn't going to get one, but then he noticed some movements from the girl.

Hinata looked down at her black shirt, and blue flak jacket. With a sigh, she pulled up her own shirt to just below the ribs. With a little concentration, the sealed appeared on her stomach. That was when Jiraiya noticed her ears twitch. He had originally though that she was wearing a hat. Now he understood why the Hokage requested he come here. He was concerned about the seals, and wanted him to play babysitter. Quite clearly, Jiraiya's thoughts could be laid out in two words: "This sucks."

He had thought he was going to take a vacation in the new village and scout out local potential for the book he was working on, but now he saw that these two would need his full attention. The Biju was split, and now there were two Jinchuuriki who needed guidance, and in the world where Jinchuuriki were hunted and longed for, he knew this could be, in the Nara motto, troublesome.

"Well, forget the mission, you two. You are now my full time students, and I am your advisor and council. With my help, you need not worry about the safety of your village." Jiraiya looked at the two children, who in turn looked up at him with an air of thankfulness. They looked eager to learn, but he didn't really know how eager he was to teach them. His last student was a huge success, but the pain of losing Minato was nearly unbearable. He had considered him a son. But, now, if that was true, then Naruto was his grandson.

With a sigh, he remembered Minato when he took him in as a student. Just like then, though he was much younger, Jiraiya had the same thoughts: _And it begins._

* * *

**Well, I'm trying to layout how Kaimugakure can get going without sufficient ninja. I've been considering a time skip, because I don't want to bore anyone with the structure of the village and how it gets going. Anyway, I thought Jiraiya had to come in. I do believe Jiraiya had thought of Minato as a son, as well as his successor. So, it would only be natural for a 'grandfather' to take care of his 'grandson' when the 'son' was unavailable. My goal is to pump out 8 thousand words a week, but I dunno how well that will go. See you in chapter eight.**


	8. Training

Sweat dripped down from Naruto's nose. He was tired, hungry, and in pain. His right arm was useless, his left leg sent shocking pain through his body every time he put weight on it, which was often. His chakra was gone, his reserves were dry. He was now relying heavily on the Kyuubi for chakra supply, and the demand for chakra was high. But he was still sucking on his dry resource of chakra, only getting little bursts of Kyuubi chakra that filtered through the seal.

"Again!" A rough voice shouted. Naruto was starting to hate that voice. He was seeing red, and for that reason, he saw perfectly in the darkness. He could make out every detail of the land in front of him, which was just a grassy plain, a couple miles from Kaimugakure. It was soggy and muddy, and he had slipped quite a few times.

His opponent was close, he just couldn't see her. He knew the jutsu she was using, and he was listening intently for a _whooshing_ sound.

_Whoosh._ There it was, and Naruto spun around, looking for her. _Whoosh_. It came closer this time, and it was behind him. He was instantly facing where it had been, but now it was coming from all over. He was confused, and a headache wracked his brain. He had made the mistake of using his eye jutsu, and now he was paying for it. It had cost him severely in battle. As the old saying goes; _an arm and a leg._

_CRACK!_ Naruto was sent flying into the air. His opponent had appeared in front of him, and made a sweeping upper kick to his jaw. He fell back to the ground and rolled, pulling out kunai as he came back to his feet. "I know you can't keep this up for too long, Hinata-chan. Even you can't hold your breathe forever." And it was true. The jutsu she was using was only available to those who had unlocked their dormant chakra type; the chakra of negative being. She used the chakra to slip into a separate, ethereal dimension. But Naruto knew all about this jutsu. You could slip in between dimensions, but you couldn't be a part of either one. You could only see the dimension you were from, but could not be affected by it, or affect the dimension you are seeing. Meaning, you could not breathe, and you could not 'invisibly' attack someone.

It was good for escaping, and good in battles,_ if _you could hold your breath for a long time and still be very active. Needless to say, that was a hard task.

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh._ In rapid succession, Hinata appeared far off, then closer, then really close. Naruto winced as he figured out what she was doing. She was leaving and coming back for breaths. '_Dammit_,' Naruto thought, then held his left arm out straight, his fingers in a claw-like position. A dark matter formed their, quicker than he had ever done before. His custom gloves were on, along with his Ninja battle armor. His attire was pretty beat up, and had terrible gashes in some places, but it was still effective for softening blows. With a sneer, he clutched the dark matter, and this time it took a large, broader shape.

He looked at it, amazed. The handle of this great sword extended out around the blade in a spider-like form, and the handle itself formed two bars around his hand. The blade was long and thick. Due to the material it was made of, it was lightweight, black and purple in color, and would probably cut through anything. Within the instant he had last seen Hinata, he had already performed one of his slower jutsus. He was amazed by how fast his skills were being honed.

He thrust out his sword, blocking her sword that just appeared from nowhere. He looked into her Byakugan eyes. He saw a steel there, and a fierce will to get stronger. Fast.

He threw a grin at her, while his feet scraped the ground, leaving a trail of bare dirt and mud in front of his feet. Hinata was pushing him _back. _

With a grunt, Hinata thrust her own sword to the side, throwing Naruto's arms wide open, leaving him vulnerable to a deadly attack. He lost his balance and began to fall back. His sword slipped from his hand, and disintegrated an inch away from his fingertips. She jumped on top of him, knees first into his chest, knocking the air from his lungs. He fell down hard now, and she plunged the sword deep into his chest between her armor laden knees. His face was look of pure horror as the blade slid through him. He gasped.

Hinata smiled down at him and laughed, then stepped off of him, letting go of her sword, which looked a lot like Naruto's. It immediately scattered into tiny black wisps.

Naruto clutched at his chest to find a hole, but found nothing. He blinked, then stood up, and glanced at Hinata. She only giggled.

"I had you going, huh?" She folded her hands behind her back, tilted her head up, and smiled innocently at him.

"Yeah, you did. How'd you do it?" Naruto tried to keep his weight off of his hurt leg, and the numbness of is hurt arm was starting to go away.

"I created it in the other split dimensions, right? Well, that meant it wasn't a part of either dimension, so had no real substance or importance in either dimension. It was a, ahm, ghost, if you think of it." Her armor was layered, cloth-like, and blue. She wore the sandals that most ninja did, a long belt that flowed out fashionably at both sides of her waist. Her long hair was in a braided pony tail, and hung down behind her. She, too, wore the custom glove required to hold the new chakra type. But, as pretty as it was when they first started, it was now cut up in many places, soggy from the rain that had been occurring throughout the day, and dirt and mud was splattered all over it.

Jiraiya landed between them, did a quick visual examination of both of them, then chuckled. Suddenly, his killer intent weighted the air, and the pressure was on. Naruto was brought to his knees, and Hinata struggled under the weight. Both of her legs were fine.

The old man laughed maniacally, "You're both completely exhausted, and completely out of chakra. It is time to bring the real training. Field experience." And if possible, the air became heavier and Hinata was brought to her knees, gasping for air. The great Sannin Jiraiya was putting his whole life into the air, the whole being of his ninja career. All of the rage and experiences he had been through were poured on to the two Kaimu leaders. They had never felt such a strong presence, and had never wanted to. They both looked at Jiraiya, who's face was not a kind one, and his eyes were filled with a cold fury. Jiraiya pulled out a kunai.

"Get ready. This is when the shit hits the fan. I'll give you a ten second head start." His voice had a razor edge, and it sounded like he truly meant to kill them. They pulled themselves free of the intense force and ran for their lives.

* * *

Hinata tripped and was now pulling herself with her hands, through the mud, as her legs tried to get her back up again. A fiery shiver was sent up her spine as a massive force exploded next to her, sending her flying out of the mud, and near some trees. She ran into the woods, which were thin at first, but after a few seconds of running she began to come into a dense forest of trees. She heard Naruto running nearby. As she hopped into a tree, to put some distance between her and the killer she was running from, it exploded and she was slammed into a different tree a dozen yards away.

With a groan, she immediately hopped from tree to tree as fast as she could, begging internally for some of the Kyuubi's chakra. Every time she hopped from a tree, it exploded, which meant if she slowed down at all, she would be incinerated. Tears were forming at her eyes. This wasn't the way she wanted to die.

* * *

Naruto, to put it simply, was running like hell. Trees zoomed past him at a speed he had not known he could attain. He was barely keeping pace with Hinata, and was avoiding explosive tags attached to kunai coming from his right side. Hinata, who was hopping trees, was at his right. Every time he avoided a kunai, it exploded one of the trees she was just in, and it was a huge risk for her. He couldn't go on like this for much longer. He, too, was begging the Kyuubi for more chakra.

His leg was becoming numb now, and felt like a block of wood. It was difficult to run with it being so defiant. His arm was feeling better, though.

With one more explosion, he and Hinata were blown into each other, heads colliding together, hard.

* * *

Naruto groaned and rolled over. He was lying in a wet, dank corridor that was lined with musty brick walls. Hinata stirred beside him. They stared at each other for a minute, and nodded in a mutual agreement: _It's time._

They stood up, and walked calmly down the corridor. Naruto noticed a chainless shackle was clipped onto both his and Hinata's right ankle. He dismissed it as unimportant.

They came into an opening, where two cages were conjoined, and two silhouettes circled each other. There were _two_ Kyuubis. But they each only had four tails.

"**I was wondering when you would decide to unleash us. I almost began to worry you had forgotten me, kid.**"One of the Kyuubis growled, facing their captive. Naruto only grinned back up into that snarling face.

A more feminine voice spoke up, and was amazingly seductive. "**Hinata-chan, don't I look out for you? I visit you in your dreams, I make you stronger, what else must I do for you to give me a little freedom? I consider you one of my own, Hinata-chan...**"

Hinata only bit her lip. It was true. This Kyuubi had been very motherly to Hinata, and the poor girl liked it. She missed her own mother very much, and didn't mind the extra attention she got from her prisoner.

"**It'll only be for a little while. Hell, I'll even wipe my claws when I'm done.**" The first Kyuubi said, looking down at Naruto. The fox's sneer was twisted into some kind of insane grin.

"Jiraiya-sensei is not an enemy to be killed. He is only trying to teach us what it'll be like unless we can call upon you at will." Naruto said, looking at his Kyuubi contemplatively. He began to wonder if this was a good idea.

"Please don't kill Jiraiya-sensei, Kyuubi-san." Hinata said kindly.

"**I'll keep him in check, darling, don't you worry. We just need to have a little time out of the cage. To, you know, stretch our legs a bit, let off a little steam. It isn't easy to be stuck in a cage all day and night.**" Hinata's Kyuubi pouted, resting it's massive head on it's paws.

"**Fine, whatever. Just let me **_**out**_**. I need to get out of HERE!**" The Kyuubi growled and the flimsy facade was gone. Now Hinata and Naruto were seeing the hardened fury of the Kyuubi. It suddenly exploded in a wave of red chakra, and only it's furious yellow and red eyes could be seen, silhouetted in the dark, flaming chakra. Now the voice was deeper, more hypnotic. It was making orders now, and wasn't about to be told if it could get out or not.

"**You will let me out of this hellhole cage, and I **_**WILL**_** rip the land to shreds! I am a **_**DEMON**_**, and I have needs for destruction and death! I must be **_**FREED!**_" He howled, and the cage could no longer contain him. He was slipping through the bars, engulfing Naruto in a furious blaze of chakra. Naruto screamed in agony as he sprouted four tails, and he was covered in red chakra, taking the form of a fox. There was now nothing left to be seen but a shivering fox, who finally had it's freedom.

Hinata squeaked as she looked to her own prisoner.

"Please help Naruto-kun. Keep him safe!" Hinata said, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. The fox took the shape of a beautiful, shapely naked woman, covered in red chakra. Her long black hair hung down over her shoulders, and her white, pupil less lavender eyes were filled with kindness. It was Hinata's mother.

The woman walked through the wide bars, and stopped in front of Hinata. She was still significantly taller than the young girl, and so she knelt down in front of her, embracing Hinata in a hug. Hinata was in shock, and overcome with emotion. "Mom?"

A deep, beautiful voice sounded from within Hinata's own mind. "**I'm here, Hinata-chan**." And then, the young Hyuuga was engulfed in an all encompassing redness.

* * *

Jiraiya stood over his two unconscious students with a sigh. He had expected more of a fight, or at least to see some Kyuubi chakra come out. They didn't seem to draw on anymore than the seal allowed to give them. Just as he was about to pick them up, the surroundings were flattened. He had to struggle to stay standing. Trees all around crashed to the ground, and the air was too heavy to breathe.

He looked down, and saw Naruto rising from the ground, without moving his own body. He was changing, and fast. A chakra enveloped him, and it formed long fox ears at his head, and sprouted a tail at his butt. Then another, then two more. Now, the boy was covered in it, and he was completely darkened. Jiraiya couldn't make out anything but the dense cloak of chakra. The transformed Naruto was slowly put on his own feet, or paws as they were now. All fours.

When he looked up at Jiraiya, there were no features on the fce. Just two holes of yellow for the eyes, and a jagged, razor edged mouth. Jiraiya stepped back a few feet. He hadn't expected this to happen. This was definitely not supposed to happen.

The Kyuubi launched itself, and disappeared from view, leaving a quaking earth. There was too little time, and Jiraiya wasn't important enough to play with. Destruction was all the Kyuubi craved. Jiraiya quickly turned around to see another Red fox, crouched in a contemplative position. This one was Hinata, but the eyes were bright white, and the mouth didn't seem as dangerous. It spoke, and when it did, Jiraiya thought it had come from his own mind. It was crisp, very clear, and had a certain amount of musical quality to it. And the voice was womanly.

"**You will report to Kaimugakure, and await our return. Our time is limited, but if you do not bother us, we will not bother you.**" And that Kyuubi was gone as well, too fast for Jiraiya to track with his eyes. With a sigh, he rubbed at his temples. Things had not gone according to his plan.

* * *

Hinata's Kyuubi zoomed across the land, it's tails flowing behind it with phenomenal power. All she had to do was follow the path of destruction her counter half had left behind. Soon enough, she had caught up.

"**Stop!**" she appeared before her Yin-half, and glared him down. "**We can't do this, yet, you idiot! The traitor Madara can't be killed just yet! Our hosts are not strong enough to hold us, they'll die too quickly!**"

The male Kyuubi growled at his counterpart, "**That son of a bitch will pay for showing the arrogance of summoning the Kyuubi no Kitsune! And when that bastard Hokage put us into that child, he was too foolish to realize that no human is capable of containing **_**me**_**. At least, not whole.**"

The female circled her evil half cautiously. It wasn't often that the Kyuubi male would succumb to her will, but she had decided that it was time to put her influence into full gear. Her voice took on a soothing, hypnotic tone that seemed to make the nature around them grow and flourish just a little bit more. "**This is no time for angry ranting. With the Toad Sage's help, we will find that traitor, and reek our vengeance on him. Until then, we will have to let our jailors become stronger, and let them train undisturbed. In a few years, they **_**will**_** be ready. Then he will pay the ultimate price.**" All of a sudden, the great woman Kyuubi's intense emotions burned the once beautiful surroundings to ash. "_**We'll feast on his soul over the length of eternity, and let him know just who he is dealing with.**__"_

With that last, terrifying address, both Kyuubis understood that their imprisonment must last a while longer.

* * *

Sasuke prepared the Ramen to the _very_ specific orders of a small child. This kid had been here for half an hour now, making the Uchiha boy dump each bowl of noodles, complaining he hadn't cooked it right. Finally, hew had done it right, and he placed the steaming ramen in front of the boy, giving the kid a stern look.

The boy sniffed it, twirled it with his chopsticks, swished it around, then finally began slurping. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, then smirked. "That'll be 10 Ryu, k-" The bowl was empty, with an I.O.U taped to it. Sasuke's eye twitched. "Sakura, your break is over, take over!" And with that, he jumped over the counter, throwing his apron aside as he did so, and rushed down the street after the boy. He could just barely see the boy's head bobbing up and down between the horde of villagers and shoppers. The growing commerce was very cramped in the Core, due to the small size. They had begun to build over the ocean, since the waters only rarely got rough.

He rushed past, turned a corner on the dirt path, on a four-way intersection street. The boy dashed down the path, and Sasuke followed, catching up. Suddenly, when they were on the outskirts of town, the boy disappeared. Sasuke stopped, and looked around. He growled, "Dammit."

Glancing down at his feet, he saw a hidden latch. He pressed down into some sand, and pulled a handled. The trapdoor came up easily. He smirked, then jumped down into the dark hole. _Must be a street rat,_ he thought. With a thud, he landed in a crouch beside the ladder that led out of the tunnel. The light that shone down from above was enough to illuminate the immediate area. There were three ways to go, and small lamps lit the way. One path in front of him, the other two on his right and left side. He took the one in front of him.

It was cool down there, and the dirt was soft and moist. He could hear voices up ahead, all rather young.

"Okay, we're calling another meeting of the Kaimu ANBU ops squad." It was the boy's voice, and it made Sasuke smirk. _ANBU ops? Yeah right._

"Everyone, we would like to inform you of a peculiar situation. It seems our leaders have been gone a couple of days, and our Leader has told us to continue our searching. Any and all traitors to the village are to be reported to him immediately. Is that clear?" Again, the same boy who skipped out on the bill.

"Yes, Inari-san !" Forty or so voices replied eagerly, and Sasuke peeked around the corner of the dirt tunnel, to see a stadium setup. Rows of seats stood in front of a podium, at which the Inari boy stood. A man of muscular form and black hair stood behind the boy. He grinned down and gave the boy an affectionate hair ruffling. The boy grinned.

Sasuke sighed and turned around. It was obvious they weren't ANBU, but no one would expect to see children originating from Wave country to be spies. Jiraiya must have set it up, and Sasuke had not been informed about it. Was that boy spying on him earlier?

As hew got back to the ladder, he stared up into the bright, midday light. He had seen the man standing behind the Inari kid a couple times. He supposed it was the boy's father, and he was a big hero around here. He even had the ability to mould chakra, and was currently training to be a ninja. He climbed the ladder, and closed the door when he got out. He noticed that the door was just as camouflaged as it was when he pulled it open.

What they had said was true. Naruto and Hinata had left two weeks ago with Jiraiya, and he had no idea where they were. Jiraiya had come back only once, just for a few hours, then left again. Kakashi was in charge of the village at the moment. Sasuke had even spied on his sensei skipping class, and having a multiple of clones take care of them all simultaneously, which was okay and more convenient.

The Uchiha strolled back to the streets, and looked at the great gate in the wall. The wall glowed a light red, and a few blue sparks were emitted from it at times. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his tan shorts, and stared at the gates opening. As soon as they were finished opening, in walked Naruto and Hinata, wearing green cloaks that covered them from the neck down. The hoods of the cloaks were up, and as they walked in, the air tingled around Sasuke, and the gates glowed a darker red. It was as if the village had just breathed.

They had a strong aura around them, and an ominous look. Like they had been put into a training that no one else on earth had. Sasuke suddenly became jealous and felt a lust for power. He wanted to be just as strong as Naruto, or even Hinata. Jiraiya strolled behind them, a rather large scroll on his back. Naruto pulled his hood back, and his bright blue eyes sparkled brightly. His cheek had a bandage on it, and his hands were gloved. Hinata did the same, and her hands were gloved as well.

"Hey! Sasuke! Did you miss me?" Naruto smirked, and Sasuke glared. He knew exactly what the blond tyrant wanted. Hinata let out a small smile as well. "Hinata, you know what? I could go for a couple hundred bowls of ramen, how about you?" He smiled brightly over at her, and she put her hands over her mouth and giggled. Sasuke just stared at his feet, smelling the ramen already. Naruto suddenly appeared beside Sasuke, a toothy grin on his face. The air billowed Sasuke's baggy blue Uchiha shirt. His eyes widened. He hadn't even seen the boy _move_.

"Be a pal, and get us some, okay?" Sasuke silently made an oath to get as strong as Naruto. What good was it to be an avenger if he couldn't even keep up with a boy who didn't even complete the academy?

* * *

Hinata relaxed, letting the warm bubbles cover her body. It had been so long since she had a nice, clean bubble bath.

* * *

Jiraiya looked down at Naruto. "Your secret Chakra type... teach it to me."

Naruto got a big smile on his face. The white, wood paneled walls that surrounded the dojo enclosed the wooden floor on which they stood. Both wore a white kimono, and were sitting in a meditative position. Jiraiya didn't like the boy's arrogant smile.

"You have to meet only one condition."

**

* * *

**

**Sorry for the wait. I had to re-think the chapter a few times. I just couldn't get it right.**


	9. The Refusal, Dream, and Mission

Naruto got to his feet, and began to circle his sensei. "The condition, you must realize, will not be very easy. It isn't physical, and you can't attain it by training. Though it _is_ unlock able to all, it is more than likely that most people can't do it." Naruto now stood behind his sensei, hands behind his back. Jiraiya's eyes were closed, he was very still. Naruto had told him to stay meditating. Naruto let out a foxy grin.

"You must realize that you are nothing." Naruto stared at the back of Jiraiya's head, at his spiky white hair. Suddenly, Jiraiya fell on his side.

"Realize that I am what?" Jiraiya scrambled to his feet, and faced Naruto.

Naruto only looked up at the man with a knowing face, "Trust me, it isn't easy. I spent most of my life denying it. But, I have come to accept it. I _am_ nothing."

Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow at his student, wondering if he was trying to be funny. Naruto's face didn't change. "How can I realize that I'm nothing when-"

"When you are the Great Toad Sage, Undying Mastermind, Female Magnet, Awesome Jiraiya!" Naruto hopped on one foot, sliding sideways, extending one hand out in an open palm gesture, rolling his head around. It was the best mimic of his sensei he could manage, until he fell over laughing.

Jiraiya gave him a stern glare, "Yeah, well. What you're asking is impossible."

Suddenly, Naruto thrust his legs into the air and propelled himself back into an upright, standing position. His eyes took on a dead, cold and accepting appearance. "I am nothing." He said it with such a conviction that it scared Jiraiya. What had those years in Konoha and on his own done to the boy?

"Cut that out, kid. Surely you did not gain this unreal power from telling yourself that you are nothing." Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, but the kid stayed the same. His whole body conveyed a defeated, and unimportant visage.

"I am nothing, and I have accepted this. The importance of my being is as relevant as a rock's. I am no more important than the floor I stand on, or the air I breathe. If you could see clearly, you would know that, too." His voice seemed dead, almost non-existing. Jiraiya wasn't even sure if the boy's lips moved.

The old man growled and turned away from his student, walked to the end of the room, then shouted. "Naruto, that's a bunch of bull and you know it!" With that, he slid open the wood-paneled doorway, and walked out, not caring to shut it behind him. Naruto stood and watched, as his sensei stomped away from the dojo, one of the first buildings in the Outer Core.

* * *

Inuzuka Kiba stood at the Main Gate at the Core. A team from Konoha had arrived on an escort mission. They were escorting a contractor who was supposed to be the best at odd jobs. Building over the ocean was definitely an odd job, and he was ready to take on that sort of task.

Kiba absently stroked Akamaru's head as he sat up against the gate, watching the contractor and his team walk through, followed by a four man cell of ninjas. He actually knew who they were, and he was overcome with memories of his academy days. He hopped to his feet and jogged over to the newcomers.

"Hey! Ino, Shikimaru, Chouji! How's it going?" He stopped near them, their sensei was a bearded man, whose cigarette hung loosely between his lips. Kiba ignored their sensei. The three Genin gave him a glare, and a nod. He felt an internal whine.

"So, you really are a traitor. And I thought dogs had an undying loyalty." Ino crossed her arms and stared at her former comrade. She wore a blue crop top, revealing a slender belly that was wrapped in white dressing, and a blue skirt that had slits on each of her sides, revealing her thighs, which were wrapped in a similar fashion. Her comrades stood behind her passively. Chouji, wearing large, baggy green coat, a tan shirt underneath that, and blue shorts. His legs and hands were wrapped, as well. Shikimaru, who stared at the sky, whispering about "great clouds" wore a light jacket, a fishnet shirt underneath, and black pants. No wrappings, Kiba noted thankfully. The wrappings got on his nerves.

"Up yours, Ino. I know the smell of whore, and it's drenched all over you. Unlike you, dogs have a nose for trouble, and where it will happen. And in Konoha, it smells like it was doused in that foul odor. It won't be long before my whole pack get out of that hellhole." Kiba's clan was known for their dogs, and their awesome teamwork skills, but were generally outcasts for their love of animals, and their animalistic similarities.

Ino's face went red, and she was about to say something, before her eyes suddenly widened, and looked past Kiba. Kiba smelled Sasuke, and smirked. It was then that he saw her arm warmers, an exact copy of Sasuke's. He smiled and said, "Yeah, even Sasuke has joined. He, too, knows where potential is found." She glared at the dog boy, but quickly rushed off to have a few words with her crush.

"Well, it's nice to see you, Kiba." Chouji said, between handfuls of chips.

Shikimaru looked over at his former classmate, "Yeah, it's been a real drag without you making things a big mess. I actually miss the old days when I couldn't go to sleep in class because of your loud mouth." Kiba smiled, and the three boys talked as the sensei walked off, saying he'd meet them back here in a few hours.

* * *

"So, the Great Copy Nin Kakashi has shifted allegiance?" Asuma said, as he inhaled on his cigarette, then stubbed it out in the ashtray. He made his move on the shogi board.

Kakashi slowly shook his head, staring intently at the board. He made his move, and looked up at Asuma, "I win. And no, not really. I felt that I was needed here, that this was my place and time. Besides, Konoha and Kaimu are allies, and I doubt that will change. Don't you want a strong ally?"

Asuma stared at the board unbelievingly. Kakashi had beaten him so _quickly_. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. They were sitting at a table in a Shogi bar that was half full, the walls were lined with tables and chairs, and in the center was a red haired female taking orders to the back for food. A few people sat at the bar where the young woman took orders, and were half drunk.

"Well, I hope you're right about this place. It does seem a really good place to live, I must admit." Asuma stared around outside. They had picked a table next to one of the windows, on the most deserted side. Outside was the newly built Academy, and in the courtyard a few children were playing ninja. He chuckled, remembering his old academy days. But most of his classmates were dead now, and that brought him back to reality.

Kakashi gave the man a one eyed sweep, then leaned back in his chair. "Jiraiya has been sharing a theory with me. He heard Naruto mumble something about Madara in his sleep, and thought he might have gotten that name from the fox. History isn't the boy's strongpoint. He thinks the... Kyuubi may have been summoned."

Asuma tapped his fingers on the table, suddenly uncomfortable. Was there really a ninja out their with that kind of power? He said, "If you're referring to Madara, he's dead. The first Hokage killed him at the valley of the end, everyone knows that."

Kakashi gave him a dull stare. "Not Naruto, so how does he know of the greatest Uchiha whoever lived?"

Asuma stared down at the table, "If this is true, then this is S-class knowledge, and must be reported to the Hokage immediately. Madara must be hunted, if he really is alive."

Kakashi laughed, "Hunted? A man who hasn't died after facing the first Hokage, and who's natural lifespan should have ended many years ago, needs to be hunted? No. This kind of man needs to be approached tactfully, and disposed of. A man that can summon the Kyuubi is not a man I'd hunt."

Asuma stood up, "But the Kyuubi is trapped now, so his biggest threat is gone. And if he really _did_ summon that fox, then he's either dead from chakra exhaustion or in a coma-like state. No man can have that sort of energy."

Kakashi stood up as well, and the young girl brought them a bill. Kakashi laid down some money and headed for the door, Asuma following him. They left the wooden Shogi shack, and came out onto a lamp-lit street, deserted at the moment. Kakashi walked down the dirt path, Asuma at his side. The many colored lamps gave the street a festive glow, and the many shops and services on each side was a welcoming site. They passed restaurants full of happy people. Kakashi finally side, and stopped. "Ever heard of Akatsuki?"

Asuma stared at his silver haired friend, then shrugged, saying he heard of them a few times, but didn't know what they were. Kakashi explained that they were a group of missing nins, with an ominous, similar goal. The goal was unknown, but each member was S-class so it had to be important.

"Does the Hokage know?" Asuma asked, smoking again. They were standing by the gate, and a tired team of Genin trudged towards them.

"He's been informed. Have a nice trip home." Kakashi walked away, giving a half-hearted wave. The team soon left.

* * *

Jiraiya lied in bed, going over his life. When he was younger, he fought vigorously to get stronger. Now where was he? He was one of the top ninja in the world! How could Naruto just go and tell him that unreal power comes from accepting that you are nothing? Ridiculous!

The man sighed. The room was dark, illuminated only slightly by the colorful lamps outside. He had been trying to go to sleep, but he just couldn't get Naruto's words out of his head. Frustrated, Jiraiya hopped out of bed, opened the door of his room, and walked down the hall to Naruto's room. He had stayed in the Kage mansion since his arrival.

He raised his hand to knock, because the door was closed, but he heard some voices. He leaned his head in a bit, and listened.

* * *

"Naruto-kun," Hinata began, as se paced around his room. She paused, staring around the room at the bookshelves and paintings of them, when they were a few years younger. "I'm worried about Madara. If the Kyuubis are wanting to kill him, he must be man of phenomenal strength. There has to be a reason we keep having these terrible dreams."

Naruto was currently studying calligraphy. Jiraiya had brainwashed him into knowing the importance of sealing, so he thought he'd give it a whack. He sat on the floor, a low table in front of him, and copied all sorts of scrolls that Jiraiya had given him. With each scroll, his style got better, and his writing was more refined. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and was only in some orange and black shorts. He looked up from his work, and gave Hinata a bored look.

"Well, you've already explained that he was the most powerful Uchiha ever, and is way too old to be living. But somehow he's alive, right? So, maybe the Kyuubis are afraid of him." He set aside his brush, and stood up. He stretched and yawned, while Hinata walked over to his bed and sat on it. She was in a light blue nightgown, with matching slippers. Naruto walked over to his desk and sat down, looking over some paperwork.

"Well, the dream keeps happening over and over and over. It must mean that they're trying to tell us something!" Hinata looked over at her friend pleadingly, and when he looked back at her he sighed. He turned in his seat and leaned back.

"Fine, let's recap the dream, see if we can find anything of relevance, then." Naruto said, looking over at a pleased Hinata.

* * *

_A long haired man in red, layered ninja battle armor, with a sword at his side looked over at his old friend. His right had gripped at the hilt of his sword, and his dark eyes examined the Shodai. _

_"You are a disgrace on our name. We should have known better to trust you. Your arrogance and power lust has led you to kill your own _brother_. We will never allow you to set foot in the organization again! Your time ends here, Madara." The Shodai drew his sword, and glared at his former comrade, who just laughed._

_"You are a ninja, and a great one at that. But your integrity blinds you! Ninjas were meant to crave great power, do you not agree?" Madara gave a toothy, maniacal grin. The Shodai spat._

_"A ninja is one who endures. And you were too weak to endure, too weak to suffer from the consequences of your power hungry ways!" The Shodai launched himself at Madara, and with a clash of swords and chakra, a deep crevice cracked the earth on the elevated land, and water from the lake gushed down, flooding the land below._

_The Shodai gasped as blood spurted from his chest. He stood 20 meters behind Madara, but despite his quick, and strongest confrontation, it didn't even look like Madara had moved. But, in fact, between the instant the Shodai was standing before Madara, and now as he stood a good distance behind him, a swift battle of the blades had occurred._

_"Your moves are too slow for an Uchiha elite," Madara chuckled, turning his head, looking back at the Shodai with one eye. Except, this eye was different. It was his Sharingan eye, and the three tomo surrounding the pupil had a white circle at the start, and were elongated, with three bars connecting it to the outermost part of the eye._

_The Shodai gasped as Madara suddenly appeared before him, and the surrounding lake was no more. It was now a place of a depressing darkness of epic proportions. Madara laughed as he slowly put his sword up to the Shodai's eye. "For you to really know what it is like to lose your eyes, you must first experience the power of the third level of the Mangekyou Sharingan." And with that, he poked the tip of his sword into Shodai's eye, making him scream in agony. He then did the same with the first Hokage's next eye, making a fresh wail of screams emit from the man. Madara released the pathetic leader from his hold, and let him fall to the floor. He writhed, much to Madara's pleasure, at the Uchiha's feet._

_Suddenly, the Shodai looked up, his eyes blood red and a twirling formation of black was surrounding his pupil. "My god... My _sight_..." Madara looked down at the man, and laughed. _

_"NOW EXPERIENCE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE THAT SIGHT, THEN TO HAVE NOTHING!" With that outburst, Madara thrust his sword down at the Shodai's eye. But the sword was stopped, much to Madara's surprise. The Uchiha found himself completely frozen, unable to move at all._

_The Hokage stood up, and laughed. His eyes, instead of the normal Sharingan red, were a light gray. "You foolish man."_

_The surroundings suddenly appeared normal, and Madara bent over gasping. The water was still gushing down the breaks in the land. _

_The Hokage looked over at the foolish, arrogant Uchiha. The Shodai's eyes were bleeding, and his smirk one of confidence. Despite the bleeding from his eyes, he was relatively normal. Chakra glowed at his wounds, and they began healing._

_Madara looked up at the Shodai in shock, "But... _how?"_ The Hokage only shook his head in a pitying way._

_"The worst thing you can do in battle is reveal your secrets. But to actually hand them over, is out right stupid. This, my friend, is the arrogance of the Uchiha clan." The Shodai launched himself at Madara once more, but with his new eyes, he was easily able to out skill the Uchiha. They were now at a standstill, their swords tightly pressed together, their noses inches from each other. Eyes were locked, and the water rippled wildly around them. They were now in a battle of GenJutsu, while fighting in the real world._

_Suddenly, the Hokage thrust his sword upwards, sending Madara's weapon flying. While still in motion, he delivered a kick to the man's armored chest, making him stumble back. With that opening, the Shodai quickly rushed at the Uchiha, sliding his sword through the man's armor, through the skin, through the bone, and back out the other side. Madara coughed blood. The water was now in a narrow stream, the muddy land on either side of it relatively deserted except for the flopping fish and water vegetation._

_"It doesn't surprise me, really." The Shodai spoke softly into Madara's ear, and twisted his sword a bit, earning a scream from the man. "Figures that a gifted Uchiha would want to brag at the ultimate level. Thanks for the eyes, Madara." Madara looked at the Shodai in horror, and for a brief instant, he saw an exact replica of his own Sharingan eyes. The Shodai pulled out the sword, and in one fluid motion, twisted around and delivered a hard kick at the injured man's wound, sending him skidding across the water, out of sight._

_He ran his sword through the stream of water, cleaning the blood off. He felt a great weight on his shoulders. Madara had been like a brother to him. He sheathed his sword, then walked over the water, to the new waterfall, and jumped down, to make the journey home._

* * *

"Well, what does it mean, Naruto?" Hinata asked. Naruto only shrugged.

"It just beat me how we know of this anyway. If this is really some battle between two elite ninja, then I wonder whose memory it is." Naruto had formed a couple clones during their remembrance, to help with the paper work.

Hinata sighed and lied back, snuggling herself into his warm bed. She giggled when she looked over, and saw his nightcap sitting at his bed stand. "Well, what about the other dream?" She glanced over at him, while absently rubbing at the hem of her silky nightgown.

He glanced at the ceiling. "Hm, that one was a little bit more complicated. I don't really feel like thinking about it now, all the details haven't been driven into my mind yet. We'll just see how tonight's dreams go, and talk about them tomorrow."

Hinata yawned, and felt tired. She had been working scrupulously on the village's economy, making sure the money flow and spendings were stable enough to continue the construction of the Core. The contractor had demanded supplies, to begin the work of making a stable city over the ocean. So far, it was okay. She had managed to work it out. The growing commerce was helping a lot, but they were still in demand of ninjas. Word had got out that Jiraiya had came to Kaimu, so the village seemed like a promising place for requesting ninja for missions. Despite all the ninja that had come from other small places, and nomad clans that were wanting to settle down, they didn't have enough. And rankings were still being assigned, so they didn't know the skills of the ninjas yet. She suddenly snapped back to attention when Naruto crawled into his bed, wearing his nightcap.

Hinata immediately squeaked, and turned bright red. She was suddenly self conscious of her attire, and nervous beyond belief. What was going on?

Naruto seemed unaware of the effects of what he was doing. He reached over her, toward his bed stand, towards the lamp, which Hinata just realized was the last light on.

A knock came from the door.

* * *

Jiraiya knocked, after hearing a long pause. e had decided that they were probably not going to say anything else. He walked in, and saw Naruto leaning over a very red Hinata, who wore a light, silky gown. Jiraiya, despite his intentions to get further information on the new chakra type, let out a bright grin. "Naruto, I never would have thought that you two do this sort of thing. I, personally, thought you were too young. Way to go, champ." Jiraiya gave the boy two thumbs up, before laughing out loud. Naruto's confused expression, mixed in with Hinata's audible "eep", was enough humor to put Jiraiya in a good mood.

"I'll just lave you two love birds alone now." Jiraiya chuckled and quickly left, leaving a mortified and embarrassed Hinata, and a confused Naruto alone in the room.

Naruto shrugged, turned the light off, and rolled over, pulling his warm blanket over himself. "'Night, Hinata-chan." He soon fell asleep.

Hinata thought that her face would never regain it's natural color, or that her heart would ever stop pounding so hard. Despite her embarrassment, and the strong will to retreat, she clenched her teeth and pulled the blanket up over herself as well, not wanting to leave Naruto. "'Night, Naruto-kun..." she said, just before sleep overcame her.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, and let out a loud yawn. He blinked the tears form his eyes, and blinked again out of confusion. He felt something over his chest, and when he moved his hand there, he touched soft skin. He looked over to his left, and saw Hinata sleeping soundly. He gently crept out of bed, being careful to move her arm first. He didn't want to wake her. When he was finally out of bed, he looked down at her. The morning light shone through the window, illuminating the room. Her long hair ran smoothly over her back and shoulder, as she slept on her front, her face sticking out towards where he had slept. He examined her ears, which were mostly blue, with a streak of white going across it.

He smiled, looking at her. He thought she looked really cute, lying there in his bed. He blinked, admitting to himself that she looked really cute anyways. He scratched the back of his head, closed his eyes for a moment, deep in concentration. Did he dream last night? He couldn't remember right now. He soon decided to forget it, and take a shower.

* * *

Naruto glanced down, taking in the view. The Core of Kaimu wrapped around the Kage tower in a circle formation, and it was a stunning cite to see. The closely packed buildings were sometimes curved and awkwardly shaped to compensate for the many streets and paths that routed the area. Naruto stood at the top of the tower, which was flat, and was lined with parapets. He leaned up against on of the battlements, and cast his gaze out to the construction site to the east. He ad already spawned a few hundred clones to work over there, and was currently resting. His chakra was growing fast, since he exhausted it everyday, and it was renewed overnight.

Naruto had come up here, because Jiraiya had finally decided to give Hinata and himself the mission. He just wanted to have one last look before he set off. Hinata was packing everything they'd need, and he had already put Kakashi back in charge. The man didn't really care, because he, like Naruto, got his clones to do most of the work. Naruto had even sent Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba on a mission to Konoha, to further the bonds between the village.

For some reason, Naruto felt that the mission Jiraiya was giving him was going to be of great importance to himself. Besides the mission's goal was to travel and train the two of them, there was one other goal. To find the female Sannin Tsunade.

And from what Jiraiya said, that may just prove to be a challenge.


	10. Tsunade's Capture

The clouds were dark, and the wind was rough. The sky lit up in a flash of light, outlining the dark silhouettes that were ninja. Suddenly, the rain came pouring down.

"Naruto, Hinata! This storm is getting rough, we should seek shelter." Jiraiya yelled, as he flew from tree to tree with a constant speed. He glanced over at his students, but only saw determination in their beaten faces. Their mission had been unsuccessful, and they were now giving chase to the great female Sannin Tsunade. They wee unable to retrieve the 'target.' They've been chasing the woman for five hours, and it was well into the night now.

Naruto looked over at his sensei with such a strong amount of feeling, Jiraiya almost smiled. He had been so worried that the boy's psyche had been crushed in his attainment of the 'negative' chakra, that he had been attempting to psycho-analyze the boy throughout the whole mission. Now that they were on a mission, he could see just how wrong his assumptions had been. This boy did indeed have emotion. And a lot of it. The large bruise on Naruto's face, however, _did_ make his smile appear. He was definitely out to get that woman.

"How about you, Hinata? Ready to quit?" Jiraiya glanced over at the ex-Hyuuga. She gave him a look quite similar to Naruto's. This is what Jiraiya had been wanting all along. A team who was easy to manipulate, ready to take orders if they thought it was their idea. Jiraiya only nodded in his agreement with their decision. "Then let's put on the heat." With that, he put chakra into his legs, and used more of his physical strength than he had in quite awhile. Though he was very angry at the way Tsunade had reacted, he was glad to be back in action.

His students kept pace, and they zipped from tree to tree with great speed. Suddenly, Hinata leaped higher into a tree, and with a flick of her wrist, the other two stopped as well, clinging to different trees with chakra. "They're hiding..." was all she said, before soundlessly activating her bloodline limit. With an imperceptible smirk, she made a common, two fingered seal with one hand and suddenly slipped from sight.

This technique unnerved Jiraiya. If it was put into the wrong hands, villages could fall from the inside out. Not being a part of the dimension scared the hell out of him, and it was completely undetectable. It was easily an S-classed jutsu. And with it taking so little chakra, he hoped Naruto and Hinata were the only ones to ever uncover this new chakra.

_Thwack_, and a woman fell from high up in a tree next to Jiraiya's. She landed on her feet on a low branch, and seemed to be exhausted, barely able to stand. She had dark hair, and a piglet's head was sticking out from the neck of the black kimono she was wearing. It was Tsunade's assistant, Shizune.

_BOOM_, Hinata was sent flying, and trees crashed to the ground. Her attempt to incapacitate Tsunade had been unsuccessful. Tsunade now stood on a muddy blotch of land, which was folded upward in waves of mud and earth, littered with downed trees. It was obvious Tsunade had just used her enormous strength to throw anything out of her immediate area.

"Tsunade, _hand over the necklace!_" Jiraiya yelled from a tree, just out of reach of the disaster area that his old teammate had just made. He noticed Naruto off to the right, going through a series of seals.

"No, you bastard! We don't see each other for years, and all you want is my damn necklace? You'll pry it from my cold, unmoving fingers." She finished her rant with a death glare, directed at the old Toad Sage. He only returned a smirk. The gray undershirt she was wearing was ripped and tattered, the blue waistband was in shreds, and her long skirt looked like it had seen better days.

Naruto, roughly a hundred feet away to Jiraiya's right, suddenly stopped the seals. It was a jutsu he had developed during the time they spent looking for Tsunade, and Jiraiya hoped it wasn't going to be out of control. He glanced over at a muddy movement, and saw a fully covered mud-form rise from the ground, the rain splattering down on the figure, slowly washing it away to reveal a dazed looking Hinata. She slowly looked up at her sensei, then to Naruto. Her eye went wide, and she instantly began gulping breaths in, then letting them back out. _Stretching her lungs,_ Jiraiya thought, then he suddenly knew why.

She didn't want to be a part of this dimension when his attack struck. Suddenly, Jiraiya didn't know if he wanted to, either.

* * *

Tsunade glanced up at the blonde boy, who was crouching low on a tree branch, hands clasped together in a seal, and his face scrunched in concentration. She quirked an eyebrow, just before a dark flash pulsed from the boy, then another pulse came. With each pulse, Tsunade felt drained, more and more. She struggled to hold her ground, and she kept her gaze on Naruto. That Hinata girl was nowhere to be seen, and she could just make out a dark, egg shaped figure where Jiraiya had been before.

Before she fell to her knee, she saw Shizune completely passed out on a tree far enough away that the pulses didn't reach her. She glanced back at the boy, shocked at such a jutsu. She had never felt this type of chakra before, and in her many decades of traveling, never seen a jutsu quite like this one. The boy was a good twenty feet from her, and the pulses had shaped a dome around them, with a fifty foot diameter.

She struggled to her feet, and watched the boy again, weary of what he may do next. He only opened his eyes, looking down at her from his perch in the tree. He remained in the exact same position. Then, with a sucking sound, the world around her rushed to the boy. All the pulses that had been emitted, now rushed back to its source. With each retracting pulse, she felt the boy's chakra get stronger. With her looking at him the whole time, she had no idea that the entire area that his dome had covered was now a plain of black chakra, preventing anything standing on top of it from moving.

He suddenly clenched his eyes shut, and Tsunade looked on with awe as the last pulse sunk back into the boy, and dark, fiery material sprouted from his back. They formed the shape of wings, more like a bee's wings. It was only an outline of the dark would-be wings, and the holes in-between the frame were not filled.

The new chakra stretched out wide, and began to lift the blonde into the air. The wings did not flap, but he lifted nonetheless. He continued to rise, then moved forward until he was directly over Tsunade's head. She had to stare straight up to just keep him in sight, and with the rain pouring down, she had to constantly blink the water away.

He let out a roar, and the wings shot back inside his body. He stretched out his limbs as he fell, and because Tsunade had been weakened by his move, she had no strength to move. She felt glued to the spot. He came down fast, lightening rumbling through the clouds above him, outlining his figure. She saw some kind of energy stretched out in front of him, but it had no distinctive color.

* * *

Naruto was plunging down at his target, his jutsu fully prepared. And just when he was a foot from impact, his mind flashed back to why he was here anyway.

* * *

Jiraiya led his two students down a beaten road. They all wore backpacks that contained everything from writing utensils to explosive tagged kunai. Naruto walked on Jiraiya's right, with Hinata on the older man's left. Hinata wore her hair in an intricate, closely styled form that clung to the back of her head and stayed out of the way. The many metal bands that held the pattern together sparkled brightly in the afternoon sun. Her blank Hitai-ate hung loosely on her neck, above the open-collared tan jacket, with a fishnet mesh of metal beneath that. Her long, form fitting black pants held a kunai holster on her left side, and shuriken on the right. On her feet were lightweight combat boots, and her hands were gloved with black leather, metal plated gauntlets. Her slightly red lips were curved into a lingering smile, as she listened to Naruto go through his theory on a jutsu he was creating.

Jiraiya wore his usual garb, the red vest, gray-green long sleeved undershirt, gray armguards, baggy green pants and armor plated sandals. Jiraiya sighed dramatically as he listened to his blonde student ramble on about some jutsu that he thought wouldn't work, anyway.

Naruto's enthusiasm seemed to reflect his clothing. He wore an outfit similar to Hinata's, the difference being his blue flak jacket vest, with dark gray pants, The only thing separating his chest from the vest was a mesh of black metal, closely linked together. He clapped his own gauntlets together as he emphasized the ending of his jutsu.

"Well, Naruto, I'm not so sure that it will work. I've never heard of anything that could drain chakra _at a distance_. And, the amount of chakra it would take to put out such a field of chakra, with the distance you are specifying, seems really inconvenient. And, the hand signs you worked out, it's way too long a sequence. Why do you think the jutsus with long sequences of hand signs aren't used? No good in battle unless your enemy is preoccupied. And distracting your opponent from their feet by flying above them is a long shot."

Naruto only grinned a foxy smile at his sensei and said, "We'll see, won't we?"

Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow at his student, "By doing this jutsu, the mere chakra exertion would leave you gasping."

Hinata giggled, and looked out to her left, avoiding Jiraiya's gaze.

"What's so funny?" Jiraiya said, rather indignantly.

Hinata only looked at her sensei with a smile as they kept walking. Naruto was looking at the back of Jiraiya's head as they walked. They came to a three way intersection and stopped. Then Naruto spoke:

"Haven't you seen us do these techniques enough to know it's greatest attribute, sensei? It takes _so little chakra to use!_"

Jiraiya gave his student a stare, then continued to walk. The roads were deserted, and they could see a small town up ahead. The vast farmland on either side of them just curved around the town, but didn't stop. As they continued on towards the town, Jiraiya looked down at the boy on his right. "You said that Eye technique thingy, the Evaporating jutsu? Jouchaku no jutsu? Yeah, anyway, you said it took a lot of chakra to use."

Naruto looked up at the white haired man, and only smirked. "Did I ever say that jutsu was of the Negative chakra type? It takes a lot of chakra to make happen, and from then on, the 'other' chakra takes care of the evaporating. It's like this, it takes a lot more material to make lamp than it does a bulb, right?"

Jiraiya only shrugged, and stopped, with his two students stopping just behind him. The gates to the town were closed.

"State your names and business." A voice cam down from up above, and when they looked, they saw a Samurai with a long sword and silver white hair. He wore a white kimono, with a white belt tied around his hips. His left hand thumbed the butt of his sword, which laid at his left side in a scabbard, and his gaze was piercing. He wore socks that separated the big toe from the rest, and had plain wooden sandals. He stood atop the gate, perfectly calm on the thick wooden gate.

The whole group of ninja got a tinge of annoyance. Samurai and ninjas have been enemies for, what seemed like, forever. And encountering one on top of a closed gate was obviously not a good sign. In fact, Jiraiya had remembered the gate being open when they first saw it from afar.

"Must be a Samurai village..." Jiraiya whispered, and his subordinates nodded.

"Names and business," the samurai said harshly. He glared down at the three with a look of disgust.

Naruto smacked his forehead, not knowing what to do.

* * *

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba all sat in the Hokage's office, with two Jounin at either side of the only door in the room. The room was oval-shaped, and the Sandaime sat behind a carved mahogany desk, with his fingers interlaced. Behind the village leader, five windows, side by side, lined the curved wall and overlooked the village. It was a spectacular sight from so high above, at the top of the Hokage Tower.

"What you are asking is... quite absurd. I do not see how allowing some of the village's clans to move to Kaimugakure is a good idea." Sarutobi quirked an eyebrow at the three Genin as he spoke, and couldn't help but feel Naruto was getting a little too cocky in his relationship with Konoha. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I didn't want to become your allies for nothing, and I hold no resent for the fact that your squad decided to swap loyalties, but the fact remains that... Konoha clans are, in fact, _Konoha_ clans." Sarutobi gave a tired sigh, and leaned back in his leather chair, which leaned back a well, putting him in a more comfortable position.

Sasuke smirked and said, "Why not let them take a trip to Kaimu and see if they like it better? All we ask for are the Harunos and Inuzukas." Kiba and Sakura nodded, both at in chairs on either side of the Uchiha.

Sarutobi smirked back, "The Inuzukas are fiercely loyal to Konoha, and the Harunos are no traitors." He eyed Sakura and Kiba for a little while, then added, "Besides, the village would, for lack of a better phrase, shit a brick. I can't just go and let some new village get stronger without an reparations."

Sakura then spoke up, "Do you not want a strong ally? You may not have been aware of this, but Iwa and Suna have been having conflicts in Bird country, and that country is now like basically third world. It lies in ruins because both Rock and Wind country want control over it. If Wind country is fighting to take over this country, and Rock is doing so as well, then we have a problem."

Sarutobi cocked a brow, and leaned in to the conversation. "You know a lot about diplomatic affairs, Sakura. I am aware of the contract that Konoha shares with Suna. We would be forced into war with Rock again, and that is most undesirable..."

Kiba crossed his arms, and stared at the floor. "The Kazekage's daughter is trapped in a dungeon in Kaimu, along with Hyuuga Neji."

Sarutobi's eyes widened, the truth of their visit finally revealed. "What?_ An ally of your ally is your friend!_ How can you just put the Kazekage's daughter in a dungeon? How could you be so careless."

"She was spying on our village, so Hinata-sama took care of her." Kiba looked up at the Third, and saw the old man wearily lean back into his chair again.

"So, this is what the little visit is about. You want to quickly make your own village stronger, and you want us to help you out. As well as find a way to get out of this mess." Sarutobi rubbed at his temples, looking his former ninja over.

Sasuke smiled, then propped his right ankle on his left knee, "We figured if word got out of two clans going on a mission to Kaimu, and bringing back the Kazekage's daughter, would put you on good terms with Suna. Since word of our alliance is top secret, no one has to know that those clan weren't obliterated, and that Kaimu didn't suffer heavy losses from the attack."

Sarutobi swiveled in his chair, turning away from the three Kaimu nins. He looked out of the windows, which had a good view of the Hokage monuments. He stared at the first Hokage for a while. "What if the girl speaks about what truly happened?"

Sakura almost giggled, "She's been drugged out of her _mind._ Trust me, Hokage-sama, she won't remember anything about Kaimu. It may take a while for the drugs to wear off. And, in return, we will give Hyuuga Neji back. He had a vendetta against Naruto, and he almost succeeded in revenge. I'm sure you understand, Hokage-sama. If some ninja had come at you, the leader of your village, and attacked, that ninja would have been executed if caught, right? We spared him, and from what we here, he had become part of the Main family when Hiashi was 'disgraced' by his daughter. He must be badly missed."

Sarutobi nodded to himself, still facing the window. "Hiashi had come to think of the boy as his own, and the Clan Elders had been against having a Branch brat become the next clan leader. But he proved himself worthy time after time. Then, he was sent on a mission close to Wave country around the time your squad left. He must have seen his chance at revenge, and couldn't resist the moment..." A classic tale in the ninja world. Some arrogant, highly gifted ninja gets it in his head that he's better than everyone else, then his ego is ruptured. He can't stop until he gets the satisfaction of beating the person that beat him.

Sarutobi then turned back to the three ninja, and nodded. "The Hyuuga clan would be pleased to receive Neji as payment for a... mission. And your plan may just work. Konoha's alliances have been slipping, so something to reinforce them would be nice. Very well, you may talk to the clans. It is their decision whether to leave or not. If I understand correctly, the Harunos are made up of only a few members, and the Inuzukas live on the outskirts of the village in some huge... home. I'm sure the clans will be missed, but it will be nothing Konoha can't handle."

Kiba sighed softly, thinking about the huge warehouse his whole clan lived in. It was filthy, it was huge, it had catwalks and lofts. It was the homiest place Kiba could imagine.

As the three Kaimu ambassadors left, Sarutobi left, his thoughts dwelling on the Uchiha boy, and his eyes wondered over to the First's image once more.

* * *

Kakashi walked down the stone steps, which was dimly lit by fire lanterns on the wall. The narrow, stone passage just continued to spiral down, and he was annoyed that he had to do this. He carried two trays in his hands, with food on them. As well as two syringes. He had been vaguely informed that these two would be gone soon, just before Sasuke and the rest of his squad went off on their first mission from Kaimu.

The passage finally opened up into a dark, stonewalled room. Cells lined the walls on his left side, and a table and chair was farther along on the left wall. He walked over to the first cell, which contained Hyuuga Neji. The cell beside this one was occupied by a blonde girl, the Kazekage's daughter. He sighed, thinking back to Konoha. He could vaguely see a Nara man mutter how troublesome some things were.

_Well_, Kakashi thought, _this sure is troublesome. _He slid the tray in a slot that was connected to the bars., leaving it on a metal slab connected to the slot. He did the same thing to Temari's cell. He tapped the bars of te cell with a kunai, waking up the inhabitants. Neji, who wore a ragged white shirt and pants, was blindfolded. He just sluggishly made his way to the bars, knowing that it wa mealtime. Temari walked in a similar fashion, but was not blindfolded. Her eyes were glazed, but a look of semi-intelligence was starting to show up.

Kakashi stood by each cell, somewhere on the outside, in-between, just waiting. When they both began to pick at their food, he swiftly plunged a syringe into their respective necks, injecting them with a sedative. They almost fell onto their butts. With his job down, he waved as he walked back to the passageway. He would come down later when the sedatives were in full blast, and let them have a shower, and give them new clothes. After all, Kaimu wasn't going to keep their prisoners in too bad shape. Prisoners had purposes, and not many were going to be kept.

* * *

"My name is Jiraiya, and these two unimportant children are my students. We are on a peaceful travel to see the lands and learn." Jiraiya knew samurai. They had so much honor, so much dignity, and so much self righteousness that it almost sickened him. They could respect your travels as long as they were peaceful and educational.

"And yet, you dress for battle." The samurai looked at the three ninja with utter distrust. His village had remained untouched by the growing Ninja Nations, and he would like to keep it that way. This town was just a town in Fire Country, but had Samurai to keep tabs on all the ninja that came through. This road led farther south, and to two peninsula. The northern, eastern peninsula that just so happened to be a country of samurai, unharmed and unheard of by the ninja villages. And more south, and farther west was a much larger peninsula, that was Tea country. Both of these countries bordered Fire country land that separated the two peninsula.

"We dress to be prepared. Some ninja hold grudges against others." Jiraiya spoke with a respectful tone, not wishing to cause conflict with the samurai.

The silver haired samurai merely nodded, and when he did so, the gate opened inward as he stood on it. They were letting them pass. A sudden surge of chakra caught each of the ninja's attention, and they looked up to see the samurai holding a brilliantly white, swirling kind of statue. He said, "This is a miniature replica of a statue you may or may not see on your travels. Be warned, do not go any farther east than this statue, or any others you may see like it." With that, he tossed the piece of marble-like brick at them ,and Jiraiya caught it. He was surprised to feel it was so _heavy. _And for some reason, it sort of glowed.

The samurai watched them as they went down the road, which cut straight through the small town. They saw many people, but all of them were inside, and watching form windows. Streets and open shops that should have been filled with children at busy crowds, were deserted, and left an eerie feeling.

"These people distrust ninja so much? In this day and age, ninja are everywhere! How can they just go on living, ignoring the fact that ninja run the world now?" Naruto asked, looking up at his sensei as they walked. Theo old man shrugged.

"That's just the way they are. If they want to hold on to the old way of life, let them. Not our problem. We have a mission, and we will complete it." Jiraiya said pointedly, and they neared the other side of the town, which had a just as heavily built gate as the first one. The same samurai stood on top of it, watching. "He's a crafty one, all right."

They each nodded to the samurai in thanks, and the man only returned a grunt. He was young, probably spiteful of the ninja world. Jiraiya could guess at what the young man's life had been like.

Properly trained in the samurai arts at a young age, the boy had to grow up hearing glory stories about the old ways. And as he grew up, he was taught more and more about how a spurious group of samurai had stabbed the old ways in the back, and branched off to form ninjas. This way of life quickly grew, and soon ninjas outnumbered samurai tenfold. When the boy learned of this, the world became his enemy.

Now, all he wanted to do was prove that the old ways were best, and that his way of life was meaningful. More so than that of a ninja, who were only out for blood. Yes, Jiraiya surmised, this boy had grown up with a vendetta of his own. A vendetta that he would never be able to satisfy.

The trio continue their journey, and stopped when it became dark. They camped out near the road, and moved on the next day. They soon found themselves facing the white stone, an larger copy of the replica they were given.

They searched for their miniature version, intending to leave it with the large, swirling statue. They weren't able to find it, so they just continued on southwest, away from the white enigmas.

They soon came up the border of Fire Country and Tea Country. A tea house sat welcomingly down the road. It was a simple, wooden construction. Two open windows on each side of an entrance with no door. They walked in, and sat at a bar. They ordered varying types of tea, and Naruto took this time to look around.

A black-haired girl was fanning a young blonde, who was leaning on the table, her cleavage busting from beneath her green shirt, at the corner of the tea house. Her bright blonde hair was in two pigtails, which ran down her back. She was a little flushed in the face, and the black haired girl was smiling and chatting to her. The blonde woman only stared off at a wall, her eyes unfocused. Then he heard the fan-girl speak:

"It's okay, Tsunade-sama. We'll make more money somehow." She talked cheerfully, and Naruto's eyes went wide with realization. "At least we were able to pay them off, and now we're debt free!" Tsunade only gave the girl a half-hearted look, then she spoke:

"Shizune, we are flat _broke_. We spent the last of our Ryu on the tea..." Tsunade groaned, and plopped her head onto her arms which were crossed in front of her.

Naruto then poked his sensei in the side, and he just gave Naruto a side-smile. He already knew. Naruto looked at Hinata, who was on the other side of Jiraiya, and she nodded. She had already known as well. Naruto scrunched his face in annoyance about finding out last.

Naruto took a sip of his tea, keeping the two women in his peripheral vision. He could see Hinata breathing slowly, deeper each time. Jiraiya just laid out some money on the counter, and Naruto saw that there was quite a few extra bills. Naruto could only assume for the damages that might be caused in a moment.

With a slight nod from Jiraiya, Hinata sort of faded away. Naruto only stood up and stretched, and noticed the two women look up as he yawned. In an instant, Jiraiya was standing beside Tsunade's assistant, and Naruto stood beside Tsunade herself. The two women were out of their seats in the same instant, but were surprised to find a kunai pressed to their respective backs. "Well, well. Look what the casino coughed up. Some women with gambling problems."

Tsunade growled and looked at Jiraiya with an annoyed look, "So, who's your new team, Jiraiya dear? More brats from desperate villages?"

"Actually, you're not too far off the target. Please, ladies, have a seat." Jiraiya smiled a winning smile, and the two women sat down begrudgingly. Team Jiraiya then pulled a few chairs to the table and introduced themselves. Tsunade's eyes lingered on Naruto for a moment after his name was stated.

"So what do you want this time, Jiraiya? 'Cause if it's another date, the answer is still no." Tsunade gave the white haired man a flat look, and he raised his hands defensively.

"Not this time, babe. Actually, I wanted to know about your grandfather." Jiraiya crossed his arms and leaned back in his wooden chair. Naruto looked down at piglet that was sleeping on the floor, and thought ominously of bacon.

"There's nothing to tell that you haven't heard already, and you know it. The only thing I have left of him is this." With that, she laced her thumb under a string, and displayed a crystal. "Passed down from generation to generation. Must be worth, I dunno, a few hundred mil by now." Naruto stared transfixed at the necklace, and reached out a finger to touch it. The blonde woman quickly swatted his hand away. He grimaced at her.

"It's for your best interests, kid. Everyone who touches this thing is cursed, and I'm the only one who has been able to wear it without dying." Her face took on a deadened look, and her eyes glazed over for a moment, as she was pulled into memories from long ago. He took this opportunity to reach out at poke the crystal, pumping a little chakra into it on impulse. Tsunade growled at him, but then the crystal began to glow blue. Slowly, and engraved symbol showed up.

It looked a hell of a lot like a Sharingan.

Suddenly, Naruto realized what he had dreamt about before he left the village. It had been a collage of Sharingans and crystals... "We need that necklace!" Naruto shouted, standing up. His heart raced, his chest heaved up and down as his breathing went out of control. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear a howl of a fox.

"Hell no, kid!" Tsunade said, putting the crystal in the palm of her hand, mesmerized by this latest development.

Naruto's voice took on a low growl, "Give it, or I will take it."

Jiraiya and Tsunade both grinned. In their old Genin days, chasing down animals for D-ranked missions had been their favorite. They really enjoyed a chase.

"Bring it, kid!" And with that, she had slammed her fist into his face, sending him through the tea house's wall. Hinata gasped as the two women ninja escaped. Naruto was knocked clean out.

* * *

Naruto was now holding the dark energy, mere inches from his stunned target. He was ready to capture her with his experimental jutsu.

* * *

Tsunade forced herself not to blink as the boy made impact, but she felt nothing. She was soaked with water one moment, staring at a kid holding some kind of dark matter in his hands, outstretched on his dive. Then the next, she was engulfed in a blackness that wasn't frightening, but kind of relieving. She fell asleep.

* * *

Naruto stood proudly in the dark, blackscape of land. The area his jutsu had covered was now beginning to take back it's shape and color, as the black chakra slowly pulled itself back to Naruto, disappearing at his feet. He was sure Tsunade was fine in her new environment.

He held up a small cube, that was shadowed purple in the corners, in the palm of his hand. Jiraiya through the cloak he had been wearing to cover himself off of his back, and Hinata appeared a good hundred yards away, out of breath.

His jutsu had worked. He had captured the great Sannin Tsunade, and put her into a dwarfed universe, inside a cube. Or maybe it was some sort of ant-universe. It didn't really matter, she couldn't be killed while inside it. You have to die in your own universe, your own dimension.

He looked up proudly to his sensei who was still perched in the tree. Holding up the cube, grinning, he yelled out, "I caught her!"

Jiraiya jumped off the tree and headed toward Naruto. "Yeah, you caught her. But where's the necklace?"

Naruto almost fell over.

* * *

**A/N**

**Well, I think I did well that time. The words just seemed to roll out of my head, into my fingers. Took me a while to get the ideas and inspirations, though.**

**I would like to say thank you to the two people who reviewed my last chapter. You were the only thing that kept me from trashing the whole story. I think my progress may be a little quicker in making the next chapter, so you may expect it around this weekend, or next weekend. That is, if I don't get too depressed over my lack of reviews.**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	11. The Cube

Jiraiya and his two 'students' made their way back to Kaimu without much incident, even with having gone through the same samurai village as on their way to find Tsunade. Taking note of their dirty and battle clothes with a crucial look, the samurai guard on duty let them travel through the city.

When they had reached Kaimugakure, Naruto and Hinata had to push out another two hundred clones to continue the growth. Jiraiya left them at the front of the Shell's gates, and said he had some business to take care of. That was two days ago, and their mission had only lasted for little over a week.

Now Naruto sat behind a trimmed oak desk, with his feet propped up, leaning back in his black, comfortable Kage chair, bolted onto the sleek, wooden floor. He was very comfortable. This was basically the first time he had been in the room.

Windows lined the curved walls. Every which way he looked, he could see out to the village. On the roof of this room was the battlements, and below was the rest of the tower. The only ways in the room were from above, or in a trapdoor hidden in the floor and one that was in plain view. The plain view trapdoor was currently open, and Naruto could see the first few rungs of a ladder from his chair. The room was really large, considering it was the circumference of the whole tower. Over to one side of the room were more desks, where Hinata's clones sat and did work. Guarding the trapdoor below were more of his clones. On the roof were more clones of both of them as well.

Naruto laughed, thinking that half the population of Kaimu was clones. The village really _was_ one of nobodies!

He sighed, looking up at the roof, letting the laugh go. His gaze fell down for the thousandth time at the tiny cube, an inch long at all sides, sat before him. Naruto knew it would work, but had never considered how to reverse it and bring the captured person out. He supposed he would have to reverse the process.

But that was not how his chakra affinity worked: it was negative chakra. Meant for turning things to nothing, by putting them in other universes, or, for that matter, anti-universes. He would need the opposite of this chakra type to reverse the effects.

And he didn't think such a thing was possible, let alone that kind of chakra even existing.

With another heavy sigh, he dropped his feet off the desk. Naruto had been brewing on this problem since he had gotten back to the village but progress in releasing Tsunade was still slow going and frustrating.

His plans had initially been, if he succeeded in doing the jutsu, it would only need to disrupt the chakra holding the person in the other universe by putting a burst into the cube. He hadn't succeeded, so another theory had been that the chakra would just wear away, and she would suddenly pop back into existence. Naruto then had Hinata to look at it with her Byakugan but she said the chakra looked like it was holding strong, and she didn't think it would wear off.

Naruto closed his eyes, thinking about the jutsu. Concepts of other dimensions, universes, anti-dimensions, and anti-universes ran through his head. He could never go into another dimension or universe, just between them. And by going, he didn't mean literally "going" there. He meant using his chakra to put things there, or taking them from there. Then he had wrapped his mind around anti-universes and anti-dimensions. That was a thought that kind of scared him, because, what if those places affected matter from their opposites? That would mean that Tsunade could be in big trouble, or worse, dead.

Since they _were_ in fact the opposite of a universe or dimension, that would make them very small. Note the small cube.

That was what made him believe she was in an anti-universe. If it was an anti-dimension, he wouldn't be able to touch the cube with his bear hands, without using his chakra or gloves, but he reached out and poked the cold cube with a bare finger. He was able to touch it. That could only mean it was another universe, brought into this universe. After all, though an anti-dimension was an opposite of a regular dimension, the rules still applied.

Another thing disturbed Naruto. The theory was that the universe was growing, and that would mean that the universe in the cube was shrinking. So what would happen when a piece of this universe was put into the anti-universe?

Naruto's eyes suddenly went wide. Tsunade could be in very real danger.

* * *

Hinata was in the dojo of the Outer Core, the first building built in this layer of the village. She had spent the better part of the day there already, going through the exercises of Jyuuken. Though she had grown to loathe her family, her body _was_ built for this taijutsu.

When she had first received half of the Kyuubi, she had trouble containing and controlling her chakra. Jyuuken was impossible for the first few months, forcing her to train her muscles a bit more to compensate for her lack of chakra control. Since that was all over and her chakra control had been attained once more two years ago, her style was quick, her moves perfect.

Sweating, Hinata decided to stop the training, feeling that she couldn't learn much more from Jyuuken. She had seen the rotation technique from a few of her family members when they trained. She was pretty good at it now but she rarely ever used it. Who needed to protect themselves when they weren't a part of this dimension?

Hinata had been thinking about this other chakra type, and wondered if it had any side effects. She had traveled between dimensions hundreds of times, and her lung capacity had improved tenfold. Naruto had once commented her on it in an awkward way that had horrified her at first, but she laughed later on at his distress. She smiled as she looked back on the memory.

* * *

_Hinata appeared from nowhere, falling to her knees as she gasped for breathe. She heard a faint _ping_ when she appeared. She looked up, gulping in breathes. Naruto was standing there with a grin in front of her._

_"Twenty minutes! Very nice, Hinata-chan!" Naruto crowed, giving her his best smile. She could only smile back, still gasping for breathe, but starting to breathe regular once more._

_"I... ran around... like you... told me to... the whole time!" She managed to gasp out between breathes, causing Naruto's eyebrows to shoot up._

_"The whole time?" Naruto asked, blinking. She nodded. _

_Through the years of honing the Jyuuken, the Hyuuga clan had adapted quickly to the speed and agility needed to use it. This gave her a higher than normal lung capacity, but twenty minutes without breathing, while running around was just unheard of. Hinata could feel a slight headache at the end and had decided to stop. Her lungs had been burning, and she was afraid of passing out from lack of oxygen._

_She also suspected that during the years when the first ninja came about, they had been weak and their bodies not disciplined. After generations of change and adaption, all ninjas had bodies of steel, which kind of scared the civilians in the world. _Evolution and Natural Selection_, Hinata thought. It gave her a grin knowing who held the real power in the world._

_"Wow, with you able to hold your breathe for so long... and stay active. Jeez, Hinata-chan, you're like a whale or something!" Naruto cried out, looking at Hinata with awe._

_Hinata on the other hand, looked mortified. "I'm... like a whale?" _

_Her face went pale, and her eyes were wide. She suddenly forgot the burning lungs and the hurting head. She felt separated from herself, and a moment of nausea swept over her. She had always been critical of her own body..._

_"NO!!" Naruto yelled out, in shock. He immediately began waving his arms in the air, and tried to explain what he meant. Whales had large lung capacities, he said, and they could stay active for hours without surfacing for fresh air. Hinata's moment of nausea passed, and she looked at her friend try to explain himself. She giggled, and couldn't stop laughing for ten minutes while Naruto worked himself into a long rant about how he didn't mean for it to come out that way._

_

* * *

_

She brushed some strands of hair out of her face as she hadn't bothered to put it up today. The light kimono she was wearing was designed for ease of use and wide motion for training. Her hands still donned the gauntlets, and her feet were bare. Though she was comfortable in this setting, she wished she had something to train on, or someone.

Hinata's eyes went wide when she got an idea. With a seal, five clones appeared in a circle around her. She grinned maniacally, "Don't go easy on me!"

She launched herself at a clone directly in front of her, taking it out with four Jyuuken jabs to the abdomen. She fell through the smoke onto her hands, throwing her legs up and catching two clones under the chin with the balls of her feet. _Three down_ she thought; while she was still surrounded with smoke, the last two clones rushed in at both her front and back.

She was now fully erect, standing vertically on her hands. She bent her elbows, and sprung at one clone, wrapping her ankles around it's neck. The original Hinata then twisted herself in midair, sending the clone into the last one. After the clone's smoke cleared, she stood triumphantly, with her fists on her waist. One more seal, and ten clones now appeared. With a smirk, she continued her freestyle Jyuuken brawl.

* * *

Naruto was now close to banging his head on the desk. The cube was proving to be a worthy adversary, and he was having a hard time to figure it out. A Hinata clone the original had made before heading to the dojo was standing in front of his desk, wearing a white kimono and gauntlets. She nodded as he ranted.

"Negative chakra captured her in a an _anti-universe_, which just so happened to be shrinking," he mused. "And due to the strange qualities and theories that surround the '_antiverse_', Tsunade could be in some trouble. She is most likely in a comatose state, not conscious of her surroundings or any changes that may be affecting her." He tapped his finger on his desk beside the infuriating cube. "I can't create something from nothing, but rather create _nothing_ from something. Between dimensions and the antiverses and anti-dimensions are my territory."

"But what can I do about these things? I can't control the other dimensions in any way; or, for that matter, any other universes. If I put something in an anti-dimension or antiverse, can I bring it back out?" He propped his feet up again, and crossed his arms, closing his eyes in thought.

"So, the opposite is my only hope. Until I'm able to decipher how to disrupt the cube with my own abilities, I need to find something that can make something of nothing. To... pull things from places." Naruto sighed. Was there even such a thing? "I can only send things away, or make things just, you know, just _disappear_ in a sense. Destructive stuff, you know? Then I go and find I can also capture things too! How great is that? Except I have _no damn clue how to bring her back!_" He was talking more to himself than to the clone, and the clone jumped at his last outburst.

Rubbing at his temples, Naruto sighed. "Hinata, I need your help to figure this out..." The clone nodded, and Naruto jumped up onto the desk. He leaned in close to the close to the clone, and she blushed. "So come here, okay?" The clone looked confused for a moment, as he poked her in the head, a transparent darkness surrounded the finger. With her eyes widening in recognition, she disappeared in a puff of odorless smoke.

Naruto plopped back into his chair, and stared at the ceiling for a bit. His mind seemed to be trapped between walls. He couldn't even think of new jutsu in this state. Ever since Hinata and him had obtained the new chakra, he went on a binge. The first jutsu he made was the evaporating jutsu, or Jouchaku no Jutsu. The second had been a failure, but he had tried to enhance his punches with the new chakra. That was a _big_ mistake, and had left his hand in a painful state for a whole week. His third jutsu had been bringing the negative chakra into a shape, and solidifying it. Hence the sword and hand jutsu they had used against Kakashi a few months ago. But he almost gave up on that one, due to the lack of control.

That was when Hinata had suggested creating material that could control it, or be a defense against it. They had stumbled on the way of making it on accident, because they were mostly stumped on how to go about creating something like that. They tried pumping the negative chakra into things like metal and clothing.

All that accomplished was destroying the materials. So, one day, they had been messing around with the chakra, and that led to the jutsu for traveling between dimensions. They had tried to wear clothes, and then pump the chakra out of their whole body, hoping it would result in the creation of the new material. They had found themselves suddenly placed in ethereal surroundings, but still in the same place. They had immediately stopped the output of chakra and were back in their own dimension. Hinata said she couldn't breathe, but Naruto hadn't noticed.

A few experiments there and back, they soon found out that pumping the chakra into materials in the 'other place' as they had called it, not knowing what it was at the time, rendered the results they had been looking for: a material that could withstand the negative chakra. Then they spent a few days theorizing about what they had been doing. Hinata had said that it was like being a ghost, not being her nor there.

That led to her thoughts about being between dimensions. That was when Naruto had made a hypothesis about anti-universes and anti-dimensions. You could put things into materials there, because there was no other places for it to stop existing, due to it not being in it's own universe. So Naruto had thought about if you tried to go further, and made the chakra more concentrated on something, you could send it to an anti-universe, or anti-dimension safely, because they wouldn't exist there, nothing could be destroyed there.

Since then, Naruto worked out his latest jutsu. The jutsu that captured Tsunade. But how could he bring things back from those places? He had no idea.

Hinata's head poked up from the open trapdoor, and he looked over at her. She quickly climbed up and took a seat on the arm of the large chair. "What's up?" she asked, looking down at him curiously. He knew she had gotten the memories of the clone he had dispersed so didn't bother explaining again.

"I think I may have been wrong about Tsunade being safe in the anti-universe. That stupid cube is dangerous, I think. We have to get her out of there soon, and I can't disrupt it with my own chakra." He looked over at her, his face full of hope that she could come up with an answer. She slowly got up, and walked around to the front of his desk. Getting off the arm of the chair and moving before the desk, she unknowingly gave her fellow Utsurokage a glimpse of what hid beneath her kimono as she leaned forward to take the cube from the desk surface. He quickly looked away blushing, thankful that she didn't seem to notice.

He quickly gained control of himself, and looked over at her. She examined the cube, turning it over in her hand a few times. She shrugged and carefully put it back down, then tiredly fell into one of the three chairs in front of Naruto's desk. She only shrugged at him. The male Utsurokage sighed, looking back up at the ceiling.

"So, how'd your training go?" He asked, his eyes wandering back over to her. He blushed slightly as he remembered the small peek he got at the cleavage under the kimono. He quickly shook his head, and looked to her with curiosity.

"It went well, but I had to make a few clones to stay and... repair the damage." Hinata gave him a small smile, and he smiled back. They didn't have any really knowledge of being a carpenter or architectural when they started building the village. They knew only what they had read. But, when hundreds of your clones were working constantly, and you received their experience, you definitely gained a gold mine of knowledge. Their clones were practically experts in the trade now, and the buildings were becoming easier to make. When all the clones new their job, it was basically a giant jigsaw puzzle to put together. So, a little repairing was nothing in comparison.

"Any word from Sasuke's team?" Naruto asked, taking his feet off of his desk once more. Hinata only shook her head.

Suddenly, Naruto's head jerked up, as important memories popped into his head. To some extent, he had control of which clones had priority when it came to their memories. And the guards were given priority. He grinned a foxy grin, "Looks like they're here, with company." He made ten clones and barked, "Get the prisoners!"

* * *

At the front of the group stood a proud looking Uchiha Sasuke. Slightly behind him, branching out to his left and right were his comrades, Haruno Sakura and Inuzuka Kiba. They were in their usual garb. Sasuke with his tan khaki shorts and blue shirt with the Uchiha symbol emblazoned on the back. He wore white arm warmers, and the usual blue ninja sandals. Wrapped around his upper arm was a blank hitai-ate. Sakura wore a pink shirt, which trailed out behind her, and tight black shorts. Her blank hitai-ate was worn to keep her hair out of her eyes. Inuzuka Kiba wore a gray hoodie and gray pants, a kunai holster on his right leg, blank hitai-ate was on his forehead.

The rather large group which formed a sort of pyramid behind them was a mixture of a bunch of rough looking brunettes, and a smaller group of pink-haired people. Even the men had pink hair, which had made Kiba chuckle at first, before Sakura clocked him on the head. Pink hair was a dominant trait in their family, she had said. Most of her family were chuunin-level ninjas, who mostly taught students for a living. This was why Naruto had wanted the Harunos.

The Inuzuka family, however, was what Naruto _really_ wanted. Everyone in that family were ninjas, and some of them were medical. Quite a few of them were jounin, and the rest were chuunin. It was a disgrace, Kiba had mentioned, to stay a genin forever if you were Inuzuka. Their blood was too pure and powerful for that.

Naruto, with cube in pocket, stood at the front of the Shell's gate. This gate was the tallest, thickest, and was pumped with the most chakra. Naruto had thought that there was next to nothing that could bring this wall down, and there were still two more redundant walls before you could reach the core of the village. The vast ocean protected the other side of the village, which was good. Ninjas were mostly land fighters, and rarely ever had a navy. And if a navy was had, it was mostly useless because its budget was poor. This only made Naruto's village that much stronger.

"Welcome, my new friends, to Kaimugakure, the Village Hidden in Nothing!" Naruto said proudly, opening his arms wide in emphasis that rewarded him a few nods and cheers. The Inuzukas seemed to be little uncomfortable, though. Naruto could almost sense their uncertainty.

"I have prepared large compounds for both your families in the Outer Core. I think you will be pleased. It's a perfect place to raise a family, and you are close to the Core, so it will be easy to take your family to the academy, and get to the main markets. I would have your compound in the Core itself, but the space is limited. I hope you enjoy your stay in Kaimu, and I do hope that your decision to stay is a permanent one." Naruto said, mostly looking at the Harunos, who looked a little skeptical.

Naruto decided to continue, "The Academy here is rather large, and we are in need of more teachers. Any contribution you would like to make to the students of Kaimu will be much appreciated." He looked around at the crowd, and decided to prove that Hinata and himself were worthy leaders of the village. "My partner and I specialize in stealth, and have done many missions that have contributed to our knowledge of the craft. I would like to ask you now if you can detect anything around you, that may harm you." Naruto glanced around, and he could see a few seals go up, a few good noses sniff the air. After a little while, he got no response aside from a few shrugs and some shaking heads.

"Well then. Take one more look." Naruto grinned, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Someone whispered, "A clone?" but it was too late. The instant the clone disappeared, the crowd of Inuzukas and Harunos were matched one to one: there was a Naruto or Hinata behind each of them, holding a kunai to the back of their necks.

One Naruto said, "Do not underestimate your leaders. We are indeed worthy of the title Utsurokage." With that, each Naruto and Hinata disappeared, and the originals stood before the group, all smiles. "Shall we begin the tour?" they asked in unison, just before the crowd went into an uproar of applause.

* * *

Naruto sat behind his desk once more, exhausted from the day's work. Slowly but surely, Kaimu was gaining strength. Hinata had already went off to bed, after trying to convince him to do so as well. But no, he had to stay here. Had to think.

He was feeling powerful right now, like no one or nothing could stand in his way. This power, though he did not think so, made him arrogant. He was no fool, and he didn't believe that nobody could harm him. Nevertheless, he thought he could handle himself. Everything was going his way. He got rid of his prisoners, while simultaneously gaining a large clan of experienced ninja, and acceptable teachers for Kaimu's next generation of ninja.

Jiraiya had sealed away the chakra in the gates for the Core and Outer Core of the village, and all that was needed to do was pump some chakra into the seal for it to break, unleashing the village's full defenses. Needless to say, Naruto had five clones stationed by each seal. The Shell's defenses were always in full blast, always vigilant of an attack.

Naruto's mood was growing happier by the minute, until he looked at the cube... Which sat at his desk once more...

Like a bad omen.

Naruto clenched his eyes shut, and shook his head quickly. _I'm tired,_ he thought, _The cube being some malevolent sign of danger is just my imagination running wild_. But still, he could not shake that feeling. The feeling that this cube, this black, purple shadowed cube lying on his desk, would be his undoing.

"I'll get that necklace, and I'll free you, too, Tsunade-san..." Naruto said, getting up from his desk. He grabbed the cube and slipped it into his pocket, heading off to his room. "There's gotta be someway to get you out."

As Naruto left the room, he left behind a notepad on his desk, which he had been writing on earlier.

* * *

**Rules of the Multiverses and Multiple Dimensions (Theorized) For the Negative Chakra**

1. Between dimensions and universes, you cannot affect the dimension or universe you are from, and they cannot affect you.

2. Though you must die in your own universe and dimension, it does not mean you are immortal between or in other dimensions/universes.

3. Though you must die in your own dimension and universe, it is possible to be affected by the universe or dimension that you are in, but did not originate from.

4. Matter sent to other dimensions and universes will not come back unless they are contained in the universe they are from. (Hence the cube.)

5. Because the antiverses and anti-dimensions are so closely packed together, it does not take much chakra to go to or send materials there.

6. Obtained by accepting your fate as being a nobody.

**Rules of the Multiverses and Multiple Dimensions (A Theorized Hypothesis) For a Positive Chakra**

1. It may be possible to bring things from other dimensions or universes.

2. It may be possible to make something from nothing by using a different universe or dimension.

3. May be possible to undo changes of the Negative Chakra

Other possibilities unknown, and the obtainment of this type of chakra is unknown

When he wrote this, he was desperately hoping the latter chakra type didn't exist, and at the same time that it did. The cube was starting to scare him, and he didn't know what Jiraiya may do if he learns Tsunade is trapped in some other universe forever.

* * *

**A/N**

**Here's chapter eleven, hoped you liked it. I now have a Beta Reader, who worked diligently on making this chapter readable.**

**Big thanks to Djinn Crimsora.**


	12. Renzaki Zen

He sat alone in 'his' room. The room was small, only large enough for a bed at the far end, away from the door and against a wall. It spanned the width of the room, which was all of seven feet, as the length of the room, from door to bed, was around ten feet. The only other pieces of furniture in the room was a small wardrobe, and a smaller, knee-high table. The man sat before said table, holding a brush with a scroll lying in front of him and an ink bottle next to the scroll.

The young man slowly and deliberately placed the tip of the brush into the ink and swirled it a little bit. He picked it up, letting a few stand alone drips fall back into the bottle before he began to write;

_Fury... pure fury. I have found myself becoming more engulfed by this retched feeling everyday. I have felt..._

The man paused for a moment, scratched his chin as he began thinking what he should say. How he could express what he feels? He blinked once, his irises a cold silver. He reached into his kimono and felt his wakizashi. It comforted him a little, knowing his honor blade was still there. He began to write once more;

_I have felt as if I was born into a world that hated me, hated the idea of me... hated that I exist. The surrounding world is filled with hostile, pointless fighting. I want to change this. I want to change it so badly... but the elders! Ohhh... the elders! They govern the land, make us stay quiet, make us undergo back-breaking training... for what? Where's our lord? The lord of the land that the old ways say we must serve? Even the blasphemous ninja haven't forgotten that particular detail of the old ways, and know that that is what we are built for. I would be proud to serve my lord, if I had one. But I don't, so why am I alive._

_The elders keep to the old ways, in such a strict way. We are taught to hate the ninja, and with good reason. The back-stabbers have no honor, no dignity. Catch a mighty enemy, and they will devise some trick to humiliate him as well as kill him. Perhaps use some of their blasted deception, and have the mighty warrior become some kind of friend. When he turns around to make some tea for the damned ninja... stab! right in the back!_

_They rule the world now, these monstrous beings the world has come to use so often. We are the last of our kind, and the elders do nothing to rekindle our flame!_

_The rage consumes me more and more each day, and I almost lost it once. When I met an old, but powerful... yes, very powerful, ninja and his two students. My rage split my skull, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I almost ruined our only hope._

_My fellow samurai must have felt the rage pour out of me, and I was soon deported from Road Town, back to my home. And now I'm being locked away, locked away to _meditate_ on my feelings. Given only water each day, I am forced to stay in this white walled cell, with only a brush, ink, and a scroll to occupy my time. Yes, I have meditated. A lot. But it's been two weeks. I'm desperately hungry, and now I have been forced to yield, and write my thoughts down on paper._

_I have grown up with many other samurai in my training. I have talked with my peers, and learned they feel the same as I. We are all training to become the best samurai possible, and have all attempted to gain enlightenment... but a force... the force of this power... it's suffocating us._

_Out of a two hundred of my peers and friends, all walking the same path as I, fifty remain fully intact, including myself. It happened so fast, and we had no way to know how to handle it._

The young samurai wiped his face with the sleeve of his kimono. They had all been his friends, his _comrades._ Swallowing his feeling, he continued to write;

_We had done what nearly none of those before us had achieved. We had obtained enlightenment. All at the same time, all in the same place. I had arranged a meditating session in our largest dojo, but something had not been right that day... on a whim, I had changed the way we were going to meditate. I said, "Let us not concentrate on our surroundings, our life, or self-awareness. Let us not even focus on enlightenment at all, and forget the world around us. We will meditate, today, on what we _do not see._"_

_And those words were enough._

_We had been meditating for all of twenty seconds, before all our eyes snapped open. We weren't happy, no. We weren't sad, either. We were left feeling empty for a few minutes, and all we could do was stare blankly at one another. Until the energy came, an energy unknown. It filled us up, consumed us. We were utterly immersed in it._

_That was when the rage had began. Cold, furious, unrelenting rage that was like a fire. A fire that was being fed generously, and getting stronger everyday. At first, we were scared, not knowing what it was that we had 'unlocked', as someone had put it._

_Then, a few days later, we had come to see it as a gift. A gift to those who became enlightened, a power that only those select few deserved. But this power had a cost. A cost deeper than what any of us had imagined._

_It ate away at the soul if we were not strong enough to contain this power. It was a double-edged sword, with a light and dark side. We could only access the light, but the dark was there the whole time, waiting to punish us if we did not deserve the light's power..._

_But the rage, the great and powerful _rage_. It only got stronger, and our hate for all shinobi grew. Twenty of those who were enlightened formed a group, and took off on a mission of integrity. They had heard about some disputes in Bird Country, a peaceful country who did not harbor any shinobi villages. We haven't heard from those twenty brave souls since. Another thirty went insane and killed themselves, all at the same time, but in separate locations. Each of them left behind notes, blabbering about how they couldn't bear the darkness any longer. And how they were undeserving of light._

_Many samurai felt they ended their lives honorably, because they had weaknesses that they ended themselves. I say it was a waste of thirty fine samurai._

_Another fifty of my comrades simply disappeared, and what had become of them was unknown. They hadn't left, they didn't kill themselves, they just disappeared all at the same time, like the group who committed suicide._

_That was half of our enlightened group, and the rest of us were getting scared. That was when we finally pulled ourselves together and regrouped in the same dojo that we became enlightened in..._

A knock at his door, and the young samurai looked to his right wearily. His long, silver, spiky hair jutted down over his shoulders, going no lower than his neck. He unconsciously clutched at his katana, which lay at his left.

The servant bowed, and as he did so, he left a tray on the floor. When the man exited, the samurai looked at the tray, with a glass of cool water on it. He looked back at his scroll and decided to end it there;

_My name is Renzaki Zen, and I will control my rage, and my power._

* * *

It had been a week since Naruto jotted down his theories about dimensions and universes, and he was now going out of his mind.

He had tried everything to free the captive ninja within the cube. He had soaked it in water. He had thrown it at the ground. He had stomped on it (and it was surprisingly strong.) He had gotten Hinata to do Jyuuken strikes on it, but those didn't even affect it. He had unleashed a large quantity of both his normal and his negative chakra unto the cube. He had bitten it. He had done everything he could think of to release Tsunade from her geometrical prison. Nothing was working.

He was half asleep in his office when a bolt of lightning went off in his head.

"Throw it at the gates!" Naruto suddenly said, startling a few clones nearby.

* * *

"Naruto has captured Tsunade?" The Third spoke with disbelief, leaning forward in his Hokage seat. He propped his elbows onto the desk, laced his fingers, and rested his chin atop the interwoven digits. "Tell me more."

Jiraiya smiled a proud smile, then leaned back in his own, hard chair in front of the Hokage desk. "The kid is good at creating jutsu, I can tell you that much. But he's not so good with conclusions and the aftermath of what he does." Jiraiya's eyes wandered up, remembering the stormy night they had captured the great Slug Sannin.

He relived the mission, telling his tale as a conductor would direct his orchestra. His hands moved for emphasis, his voice darkened on the appropriate spots, and he ended it with a _smack_ of his hands. "Just like that, stuck in a tiny cube."

The Sandaime nodded thoughtfully, sucking on the pipe he had prepared and lit during the story. "I see. The boy is a hazard to himself and his village, and should be put under constant supervision of ANBU forces in a high security prison, drugged at all times. "

"What? You can't do that, sensei!" Jiraiya stood up, his chest thrust out.

The old Hokage smiled knowingly, and swiveled in his chair to look out onto the brightly lit village. The darkness on the horizon, mixed with the artificial light from the village, shadowed the Hokage monument greatly. He chuckled slightly, "I was only messing with you, Jiraiya. Of course I will not do that to the boy."

Jiraiya's face looked relieved for a moment, then he was angry again, "I know what you're thinking! You're thinking I see him as another Minato, aren't you? You think that I think that if I teach him all I know, maybe for once my student will outlive me, and my legacy and teachings will continue! I'm not you, old man!"

Sarutobi only chuckled, "But Jiraiya, I had nothing in my mind of the sort. You stated it clearly for yourself." He continued to look out at the Hokage monument, his own face at the very left, and the Shodai's face at the right. With it shadowed so heavily, it almost seemed like one could see his necklace, and his eyes were... different, in a way.

"How did the Council take it, your helping the 'new' village?" Jiraiya said with a grumble, settling back into his seat.

Sarutobi's eyes got hard, though Jiraiya could not see it, he sure could feel it. "Who the hell cares? The old prunes don't have a reasonable bone in their body. But at least it's good they do not know who is the backbone of Kaimugakure... at least, not yet, anyway."

Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow at the back of his old sensei's chair, "You're not going to tell them, are you?"

Sarutobi let out a chuckle, "I'm old, Jiraiya, not senile. Not yet, at least. I am not going to spill the beans." With a heavy sigh, the Sandaime turned his chair and faced Jiraiya again. "There have been reports of nomad samurai running amok in Bird Country, did you know?"

Jiraiya gave a half shrug, then looked around the round office, "There's not much news coming out of there, these days. The place is in ruins, and it just keeps getting worse. Suna is on the brink of declaring war with Iwa, and Iwa feels the same. If a Fourth Great Shinobi War breaks out, who will side with whom? Suna will of course ask for Konoha's help, and you will ask for Kumo's help, and it will be a chain reaction until no one is certain of who to side with. Iwa is Konoha's worst enemy, though that may be, but they are powerful. Suna is quite powerful themselves, with the wind techniques they harbor. Kumo is quite powerful as well, but they will most certainly side with Iwa."

Jiraiya paused for a moment, and Sarutobi nodded. Jiraiya then continued, "Ame? Forget about it. That 'Akatsuki' group dwells there, and though they try to hide it, they are in the middle of civil war. I think Akatsuki is an organization trying to _unite_ Ame and control it. I assume they intend to make it a powerful country. I traced Orochimaru there..." The Toad Sage looked at his old sensei, who's expression was one of regret. "Turns out they killed him, because he tried to leave. In fact, _Itachi_ killed him." Again, another look of regret from the old man.

"I do not understand their reasons for dwelling in a relatively small country, which just so happens to lie in the center of a circle of six countries, including Fire. If a war breaks out, their land will be ravaged once more. It's possible that they may have foreseen the upcoming troubles, and are now preparing the country to resist..." Jiraiya let out a long sigh.

"I'm pretty sure war is irrefutably close now, so it's just a matter of time." Jiraiya finished, staring at his former teacher, nicknamed 'The Professor'.

Surprisingly, Sarutobi grinned. "We will hold true to our alliance with Suna, and I have been secretly strengthening our relationships with all of our other allies. When it does come, they will send what they can." Then, Sarutobi smiled. "We are the Mist village's first ally, and I have been sending ambassadors to make sure they are happy with our alliance. They have guaranteed that, if we are there for them in their struggles, they are here for us."

Jiraiya only shrugged, "But what it all comes down to, is the quality of their word." Sarutobi only nodded.

"And," Jiraiya added, "I still need my old teammate back."

Sarutobi just shrugged.

* * *

Naruto was now standing in front of the Shell's wall, on the far side, where no one would see him. He was wearing a rather large coverall gray rubber suit, and thick, dark safety goggles. His feet were clad in black rubber boots, and his hands were in rubber gloves. The collar of the suit extended up his neck, to the base of his head. His spiky hair hung wildly over his goggles, and his grin was maniacal. _This cube is driving me nuts,_ he thought crazily, letting out a small fit of laughter.

A rather large legion of his clones stood behind him, fanning out in all directions, observing. All were wearing the same getup as the original Naruto. And all of them had the same grin.

"One!" Called a random Naruto, and the cube was placed in the cradle of an elaborately customized large slingshot-esque contraption that had been quickly erected after Naruto's epiphany.

"Two!" Another called, and several Narutos gathered around the strong elastic straps that the cube was fitted in at the center.

"Three!" One more called, and the clones pulled the bands as far as they reached, which was quite a distance. The contraption attached to the bands was attached to several trees, and those trees were bending just a bit.

The original Naruto grinned even wider, giving himself a crazed look. He spread his arms wide opened and called, "Go!"

With a loud _whoosh_ the cube was shot at the gate with a speed that cut the air.

The lenses of each of the Narutos goggles lit up, and an explosion rocked the area. The gate held strong, and the chakra was fiery around the brief bit of darkness that was the cube. The chakra formed a barrier over the gate, and the cube had made a deep indention into that barrier, and it seemed to keep going, but very slowly. The chakra around the cube became even more intense as the cube slowed to a halt, and a brief spike of fear filled all of the Narutos' minds that were attending this 'ceremony.'

A whip crack sound, and a large slice of earth disappeared, along with it a good hundred clones. The missing portion of earth was a filled in V shape, extending out from where the cub had been cutting into the wall's defenses. The original Naruto stood off to the side a bit, unharmed from the sudden destruction of his clones and newly made slingshot. Then a pang of panic hit Naruto, and all of his carelessness fell on him like a ton of bricks.

"Oh my _god_! WHERE'S THE CUBE?!" Naruto's head whipped around, and a few of his clones backed away, shaking their heads and upturning their arms, in a gesture that said they didn't know. They wisely dispersed themselves, just before Naruto let out a raging burst of chakra, engulfing the area in a dark dome.

* * *

Where's the cube...

_Why did I do it?_

Where's the cube...

_I'm so stupid!_

Where's the cube...

_It all started with my stupid jutsu!_

Where's the cube?

_It's all my fault!_

Where's the _cube_?

_Why am I so careless?_

Where's the cube?!

_I don't deserve to be Utsurokage!_

WHERE'S THE CUBE?

_It's all my fa-_

WHERE'S THE CUBE?!

_I DON'T KNOW!!_

_

* * *

_

With a roar of rage, Naruto's dome imploded on itself, engulfing the boy in a flaming assortments of negative chakra, suspended a mere inch from his body. It took a shape, forming wings on his back, and the dark, luminescent color began to take a lighter shade, and formed veins of red, coursing throughout the cloak of negative chakra.

Barely aware of himself, Naruto's hand formed the familiar ram seal, and two hundred clones with black-red wings formed around him.

"Find... the cube..." Naruto's voice, that did not sound like Naruto at all, said. Every Naruto disappeared, all following the path of destruction that the rebound of the cube had made. Each of their flaming wings trailed behind them, and seemed to boost their speed.

* * *

An explosion rocked the village, and many of the villagers jumped to the ground screaming. Hinata stood her ground, but villagers were now huddling around, running for buildings, and rioting down the roads. They were screaming obscenities, and some were under the impression that Kaimu was under attack.

Hinata shook her head, trying to clear it. She had been out shopping for food, and just came out of a grocery store in the Outer Core district, when the explosion ripped through. Only one explosion, but it was very loud, and very violent.

Then a loud _crack_ followed up, booming throughout the area, earning more screams. In the distance, Hinata could see a fiery light, and a cloud of dust and debris in the air by the Shell's wall.

Her Byakugan was activated with a quick seal and she could see past the Shell's wall. A large, fresh crevice was in the ground, and it looked deep. Standing around the cut earth were a few dazed looking Narutos, and one mortified one. The mortified Naruto clutched at his head and doubled over. She could hear a faint, painful screech.

Abruptly, a large, black dome popped up around the area the mortified Naruto stood. She then realized that that one was the original. When the dome slowly became transparent, fading away, an army of clones rushed out of it. All of them had fiery black-red wings, and they were traveling all following the disaster line with incredible speed.

They left one Naruto standing, hunched over, his knuckles scraping across the ground. When he looked up, his face turned in her direction, as if he knew she was looking at him. Again, the warm connection she hadn't felt for so long washed over her, and he mouthed the words;

_I screwed up._

Then, with the tightening of his muscles, he wrenched out of his spot, speeding after his clones.

Hinata quickly dropped her bags and ran at top speed to get outside of the village.

* * *

Sasuke was dripping with sweat, his soggy shirt removed. His tan khaki shorts looked like they had seen better days with the mud clinging on them, and the rips in various places. His shins were crusted with dried blood, and so were his knuckles. His arm warmers were gone as well, and lay beside his discarded shirt in tatters. His blank hitai-ate was tied around his forehead, keeping the sweat and slimy hair out of his face.

He was kneeling in a newly made training area, by the ocean in the outer Shell. Training dummies were erected out in a field to his right, and the ocean a good distance behind him had a dock extending into it, with small boats attached to it. There was an agility course of in a grassless plain to his left, and he was currently standing on the target range, which extended out in front of him. A pile of kunai and shuriken lay at his feet, slightly to the right. He had just finished the agility course, and had been training on the dummies before that. Now he was practicing his aim and precision with the projectile ninja weapons.

He had been out here everyday since he got back from his mission, determined to get stronger. Sasuke didn't like knowing someone his age was far stronger than he was, and his spirit wasn't going to let that happen.

He refilled his pouches with kunai and shuriken, along with expensive steel wire. He had at first been surprised Naruto had given him so much money to spend on supplies for his training, and was also surprised to know that a new training ground had been built. Naruto had just said he was glad to have such a dedicated ninja in the village. Though it was a compliment, Sasuke resented Naruto for it. He resented the fact that the boy was so much stronger, resented the fact that it seemed Naruto didn't think  
Sasuke could surpass his skills.

So, Sasuke had gone out and blown all his money on everything he would need to get better. He went to a new shop set up in the Outer Core named "Tanaka's Heiki", the sign having crossed swords on each side. Sasuke lifted the curtain of a door as he entered, and the closely packed in building, with white paint on the outside, opened up to be a ninja's paradise. Countless shuriken and kunai lay at the counter, which an elderly man with a rough smile standing behind. Explosive tags were on another side, larger shuriken hanging on the walls. An assortment of swords and other blades were on shelves as well as being on wall displays. A few massive men were at one side of the shop, looking at some armor, and asking a younger lady about customization.

Sasuke had walked up to the elderly man, who seemed fit and had a few scars on his face. He looked at the man with some respect, and admired how a man of his age must have been a ninja, and had seen so many things.

Sasuke was about to open his mouth when the young girl rushed over and shoved the old man ot of the way, and she looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "May I help you?" Her voice was soft, and sweet. Her eyes were a dark green, and her hair was light brown. Her pink blouse and skirt, with a brown apron coming down from her neck, clashed together wildly. She gave him a bright smile, showing off her perfectly straight, white teeth.

Sasuke glanced over at the elderly man, who look unabashed by the intrusion. "Actually, I wanted to talk to the owner..."

Her smile widened, and Sasuke looked back at her. She seemed to be about his age. "You're looking at her." She stuck her tongue out teasingly.

Of course, Sasuke's reaction was one of surprise. "You're the owner, and you made all these weapons?" She gave him an enthusiastic nod, and was leaning way over the counter, looking deep into his eyes. He suddenly felt uncomfortable, "Er, well. Nice to meet you, Tanaka-san."

Quickly exchanging pleasantries, Sasuke placed an order for a bale of the strongest steel wire they had, and hundreds of kunai and shuriken. He also ordered for five fuuma shuriken, that could be folded together for carrying convenience.

Tanaka had written all that down, and went to the back. After a while, she handed him a scroll. He looked at her in a weird way, and she rolled her eyes.

"See these?" She asked, pointing at the middle of the seal. "That's what's holding your order, and these..." she trailed her finger in a circle, going outwards, "are the goods. Now, that'll be ah..." She quickly and expertly pressed some buttons on the register which sat atop the counter, and said, "Five thousand Ryo." Sasuke had nearly fainted at the price.

Now, here he was, part of his freshly purchased supplies at his feet, part of them at his apartment back at the Core.

With a quick stretch, Sasuke launched himself forward, darting to the left and right, doing spins in midair. He was pretending he was on a battlefield, with weapons were flying past him. He quickly got behind cover, imagining the explosions happening on his left and right, seeing kunai and shuriken bury themselves into his comrades and the ground around him. Quickly, he jumped on top of the large rock covering his back, and threw eight shuriken in rapid succession. They hit their pinned targets which were attached to several trees in differing places. After his attack, he hopped off the boulder, imagining missile weapons clanging against the rock. He was now behind a tree, and was about to make his next move.

With a quick hop, he was in a branch, and pulled three kunai from a pouch.

_BOOM! _Sasuke found himself flying through the air, his mind now convincing him he was actually in the war he imagined. Terrified he let of an assailment of kunai in no distinctive direction, and hit the ground. Hard. The wind was knocked from his lungs.

_CRACK!_ He now jumped up, gasping for breath, and dove behind an impressively big rock. He hid there for a good ten minutes, trying to gather his bearings.

* * *

Kakashi looked bored as some of his students murmured about a faint sound they heard. He continued to read as his clones drilled the students harder, making them pay more attention. He had been trying to teach them some basic jutsu, and most were pretty good at it. Even though a lot of their chakra reserves weren't very large, that made it easier for them to control it with perfect precision. Completely unlike Konoha where most ninjas reserves were so large they had no idea what to do with it, thinking the more they had the better.

Kakashi wasn't ignorant. He knew how important chakra was to a ninja, and how important the average ninja's reserves were for a shinobi village. But he also knew how important it was to learn chakra control, and that wasting no chakra at all was just as valuable as having a large chakra supply and wasting a good bit of it with each jutsu. For the past few months that he had been teaching, his students had progressed enormously; he had never taught such an eager bunch.

They were all there to prove themselves, to prove their village. They were eager to learn, eager to advance themselves. They weren't arrogant, not placed in hierarchal chains of clans, where one clan was more important than the other. The rivalries were productive, not destructive. Kakashi was seeing just how much spirit the villagers had, and the refugees were showing a vigorous amount of fervor, wanting to be a part of a strong village.

Wait, no. Wanting to _make_ a strong village.

So many young ninja waste their efforts, not truly understanding what it is like to have to prove their village was competent. They all knew that in a few years, there would come a time that the other powers will lose their fear, and want to know just how strong the village was. And from what Kakashi could see, they might just be ready to pass that test with flying colors.

He had never thought himself to be much of a teacher, and had never thought he'd like it very much. Back in Konoha, the teachers were always Chuunin, and some of the Jounin and other Chuunin laughed and called them cowards for staying safely in the village, baby-sitting the 'toddler ninja.' Kakashi now had a very different opinion. The teachers were the backbone of the village, and without them, there would be no shinobi outside of prestigious ninja clan.

No matter how many hundreds or thousands of jutsu Kakashi copied, it never gave him this level satisfaction. The satisfaction that he was getting from teaching hundreds of students everyday, each of them hanging on his every word, feverishly taking notes. Never had the jutsu or power he gained given him the feeling of such _importance_. He told them stories of his career as a ninja, and he had never seen such looks of _admiration_ of this caliber they gave him.

After years of being ice cold, he felt a trickle of warmth spread throughout his body, and he thought back to his best friend Obito.

* * *

The Inuzuka clan were set up in a large compound on the outskirts of the Outer Core, close to the Core and ocean. The estate was huge, and surrounded by a tall iron barred fence. A long hedge ran along the high walls that stood behind the fence, and a path routed throughout the entire compound to every house and building. There was a veterinarian office placed close by the compound, giving many of the animal-loving shinobi a hobby and job.

They had been provided with a large, open field behind the compound that served them well. They had constructed a large warehouse and kennel, where many of them spent their time there training. But for the more wild moves they would go outside so as to not damage the structure.

Kiba had been scolded and berated by his family for a long time, but had eventually convinced them to come over to Kaimu, to better Konoha's alliance with the new village, and with Suna. After they had arrived, a convoy of the first Kaimu ninja was assembled, and escorted the two prisoners back to Konoha. They had returned a few days later, reporting that it went well.

Now Kiba sat next to Sakura, with Akamaru on his other side. He had just finished training when Sakura came over with three bento boxes, and offered him lunch. He gladly accepted, eating her offering hungrily. She had said the third was for Sasuke, but she was unable to find him.

Akamaru drooled, and stared at her with puppy dog eyes until she had given it to him, hesitantly though.

Now they sat beside each other and backs pressed up against a cement wall. On the other side was a target with a bulls eye, many kinds of weapons were thudding into it. An hour had passed since they had dismissed the loud whip-crack sound following an explosion. Now the sun was going down, casting a dark glow over the ocean.

"Sakura," Kiba began, stroking Akamaru with his left hand, "I know your worried about Sasuke. So am I, a little. but don't let it bother you, okay?" He looked over to his right, where Sakura sat, knees pressed against her chest with hands wrapped around her legs. She looked over at him, her bright green eyes half filled with tears.

"He just hasn't been the same since we came back from the mission. Ever since Naruto showed his skills to our clan, along with Hinata, he's been training nonstop, and he's been avoiding me..." Her voice hitched, willing herself not to cry.

"His pride is hurt; Sasuke just wants to prove he's not weak. He probably feels insignificant when he thinks of Naruto, and I do, too, ya know? He's gotten way stronger, and now he's being taught by one of the Sannin! But now he seems obsessed with that cube he's been carrying around, and hasn't been training much. But Hinata has, and she's just as strong as he is..." Kiba said, glancing over at the ocean as the sun dropped a little bit more.

Suddenly, Sakura's arms were wrapped around his waist, and her face was pressed tightly into his abdomen. As she lay on top of him, the rest of her body curled up beside him. She began sobbing, "I don't like Sasuke avoiding me like this. I don't," she sobbed, shaking her head against him, " I just don't l-like him feeling that way, e-either."

Kiba was feeling slightly awkward at her sudden outburst, and her arms tightly wrapped around him. Though the moment wasn't even right, and there was no extreme cause for it, he was blushing, and glad no one from his clan was around to see this. He slowly put his hand on her head, and muttered things he hoped would make her a little more quiet while making her feel a bit better.

* * *

It was now dark, and though the path of destruction had finally thinned out and disappeared, Hinata could not find Naruto. She focused once more, and drew up her chakra. "Byakugan!" and now her vision was clear as day, and she could see farther out. She quickly scanned the area, looking for Naruto, then extended her vision to focus on more areas. _There!_

She leaped from her spot, dashing from tree to tree until she landed beside Naruto. "Hey... what's going on?" She asked tentatively. He was crouched down in front of a tree, the wings gone, and his back was to her. The rubber suit he was wearing looked odd to her, and his face was blank. She deactivated her bloodline limit, crouching beside the boy.

"Hey, Naruto-kun?" She asked softly, putting an arm around his shoulders. She leaned down and in, getting a better view of his face. His eyes were glazed over, but they were red and puffy, like he had been crying. And he telltale tear stains, streaking down his face, only confirmed her suspicions. "What happened?"

He slowly turned his head to look at her, the stars reflecting into his normally bright blue eyes. Only, tonight they seemed dull, listless. "I lost the cube..."

She now understood, and that must have explained the noises and path of destruction that had ensued. "How?" It was the only word she could manage, and tried to make it sound as blameless as possible.

"I... launched it at.. the wall. And the wall held strong, and blew it back out with the force of, well...you saw..." His eyes now pleading, staring deep into her own lavender, pupil-less orbs. They were just _begging_ for her to understand, for her to forgive him. She couldn't stand that look, and quickly pulled him into a hug. They both fell against the old tree with moss growing against the side, the moss cushioning their fall.

They stayed under the tall, rippling tree, in a warm embrace for what seemed like forever. Hinata's black pants were now muddy from the soft ground beneath the tree, and her matching under shirt and metal mesh cover was all she was wearing over her chest. Her slender tummy exposed was pressed up against Naruto's rubber suit, since she had lost the gray flak jacket she had been wearing on the way here.

Hinata's cheek was pressed tightly into the back of Naruto's neck, and his arms now hugged her back.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, hugging her a bit tighter.

"Don't worry, we'll get it back," she replied, a small smile on her lips. Though losing the cube was terrible, she couldn't help but enjoy the warm hug they were sharing, or the way Naruto was clinging to her. It felt good, being there for Naruto when he needed her most.

* * *

The next day, hundreds of Hinata clones searched with the Byakugan, with Hinata there herself. The cube was nowhere to be found, and when Naruto was informed of this, he only locked himself away in his office at the top of the Kage tower.

It had Hinata worried, but she decided it may be best to let him work it out by himself.

In the meantime, she had training to do. So she got dressed in her white kimono, made a seal, and her surroundings melted away, blended, and she disappeared.

* * *

For the next week, things in the village settled down. Hinata had handled the rumors, and snuffed out all thoughts of being attacked. When everything was under control, she was finally able to start examining ninja who applied for ranks. She had stopped using her clones for development, and had directed all of her attention to the ninja wanting ranks.

Hundreds of people were processed over the next week, and Kaimu's forces were settled. She was now looking over the scores, sitting in front of Naruto's desk, in his office. Jiraiya had stopped by and given her a scroll, telling her how to examine and gauge the skills of the ninja who came to her. He soon left her after that, and went to see Naruto. From what Hinata could gather, it hadn't gone well when Jiraiya learned the news of the missing cube. Now he was out of the village once more, presumably looking for his missing cube-bound friend.

The process had all taken place on the many floors of the Kage tower, but Naruto hadn't attended any of them He was distant lately, and got even worse when Jiraiya had left.

Hinata placed a stack of papers in front of Naruto, who was sitting sideways in his Kage chair, legs dangling over the arm, head leaning back over the other arm. He gave the papers a sideways glance, before looking back up at the ceiling. "Can it be summarized?" was all he said, which sort of offended Hinata. He hadn't said anything to her for the past two weeks, and this was his greeting for her hard work, trying to establish the strengths of the village?

Hinata just sucked it up, ignoring her hurt feelings. "We are not too bad off. There are three notable clans who claimed to be nomads. One of them has a kekkei genkai that is apparent in all of the clan." That got Naruto's attention. "They have been wandering around for years. The leader is Momochi Zabuza, who was once one of the great Mist Seven Swordsmen. Their kekkei genkai allows them complete control over water, turning it to ice and using it in whatever form and jutsu they can think of. The clan is strong, but have been on the run from Water Country, who were planning on killing them. They would have succeeded if not for the clan leader and his cunning fighting skills. He is easily a jounin-ranked ninja, and is a powerful asset to the village. The clan consists of mostly chuunin, with a few jounin. There are around a hundred in the clan."

Naruto nodded, then looked back at the ceiling.

Hinata continued, "The next clan is a small one, but all of them are easily jounin. They like to think of themselves as the Berserk clan, and claim they fight with an amount of bloodlust that is unreal. They would like to be the first of our ANBU squads, though I'm sure Inari and his father wouldn't like it too much if they weren't taken seriously. They've been training hard under Jiraiya's guidance, along with Kakashi's teachings. The Berserk Clan consists of only twenty-five people, but all of them have dedicated themselves fully. They hail from Kumo, the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Being the devoted group that they are, they were disgusted by the disloyalties and treacherous ways of their former home; so they broke their ties."

Naruto nodded again, his eyes never leaving the ceiling.

Hinata went on, "The next bunch are highly trained in chakra control. This clan is the largest yet, with a headcount of two hundred. Their are only thirty jounin in this group, and the other ones that are ninja are chuunin, with a small group of genin. One fourth of the clan are only citizens, though, but they are practiced in the art of medicine. I think this clan could become our Medical Corps, if properly trained by someone, say... Tsunade-sama?"

Naruto shot up out of his chair, his eyes stung with tears. "I screwed up, Hinata-chan! I know! Please, it's ripping me apart. I can't just make her appear in my hand! And Jiraiya-sensei... he probably hates me!" He stared at Hinata with so much remorse and grief, it was hard for Hinata to not hop the desk and try and comfort him. Instead, she held strong, and stood up, giving him an icy glare.

"If you don't pull yourself together, _Utsurokage-sama_, then we'll never find her, and never get her back. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, put that clever brain of yours to work, and think of a way to find her!" Hinata dropped a notepad onto his desk, taking her leave of her depressed partner.

Naruto looked down at the notepad, which was a full summary of the official reports she had prepared. He suddenly realized how much he was hurting her by shutting himself away, and how much she cared about him. Instead of just leaving a summary behind, she decided to give him a bit of it herself, and lead him into her story.

She had tried to convince him just how selfish he was being, and she had succeeded. He now realized what an ass he had been for the past two weeks, and he felt guilty for it.

"Hinata-chan, wait up!" He called, dashing to the open trapdoor.

* * *

Jiraiya gently leapt from tree to tree, not making a sound. He leapt once more, landing silently against the tree, using chakra in his hands and feet to cling to the trunk. Peering around the thick branches that covered him from sight, Jiraiya could make out a fire. A group of twenty sat around it, eating heartily, laughing. They talked about their adventures, and battles they won. Each of them had a sword on their left, and wore layered plate armor extending from their necks downwards. A plated skirt, layered with even more on top of it, covered their hips to their ankles. They wore wooden sandals on their feet. Each piece of their armor was intricately designed with paintings and engraved symbols. They were all young, probably in their early twenties or late teens.

Samurai, and too many to take on at once. A white, translucent glow surrounded the campsite, and the men laughed heartily. Jiraiya had tracked them from the path of destruction, where the cube had disappeared, to here.

One bearded samurai put down his sake, and looked around at the other men. "Well, we are finally almost home. We are nearing the border town, and will soon enter our homes!" The surrounding men cheered and the man continued, "We have succeeded in fuelling the fires between the Sand and Rock ninjas. My only regret is that we were unable to help the poor people of Bird Country." A few somber looks passed through the men. "But, we have succeeded in slaughtering all ninja in our way!" A loud cheer rewarded that statement. "And now, to find out what gift has been bestowed upon us."

Then the man raised his arms out to his side, and slowly rose his hands upwards, as if each arm carried a large, heavy load. Jiraiya could feel a large power come from the man, and it only got stronger as his arms went higher. Jiraiya made sure his footing was good on the tree, in case he had to get away quickly. And the last statement didn't sound right to him, and he wondered if they meant him.

The man's hands finally touched, directly over his head. Though they met softly, they emitted a loud _clap_ that ricocheted through the trees. The glow suddenly got stronger, and Jiraiya could see all of the men grinning.

Then, Jiraiya saw it, just before the blinding whiteness got too strong to look at. The man was holding the black-purple cube, between his glowing hands. And before Jiraiya could react, he saw a flash of blonde hair, and then the white glow turned to a solid dome, too bright and ethereal to even look at.

And then it was gone, and with it, the band of twenty Samurai.

* * *

**A/N:**

**And to those of you who speak about the laws of Physics, well, I'll tell you what Djinn Crimsora told me. (And how correct he is in this statement is amazing.):**

**"Physics takes a backseat to the will of the FanFic Authors." **


	13. Rescue

Jiraiya jumped out of the tree and onto the spot where the group of samurai had disappeared from. His face twisted into a snarl. "She was so close!" he yelled out at the dark sky unresponsive. Somehow, the band of samurai had come across the cube, and they somehow restored Tsunade from it. Now Jiraiya was _pissed._

With a scream of fury, he struck the ground with his fist.

* * *

Renzaki Zen lied on his bed in the windowless 'room', thinking back to when the last of the remaining enlightened people got together. They worked to try and formulate a plan, to control their new powers.

How _naive _they were to think they could actually control it so soon, with so little knowledge!

Zen then got up from his bed, walked over to the small table beside his dresser and kneeled before it. He readied his writing materials despite being painfully tired by now. His release time was soon which made him decide to finish his documentation;

_We were so young, so stupid. Though it's only been a year, I feel like I've aged a hundred. When we gathered back in the dojo, we had believed we knew the powers of our new gift. We were so young, and it cost many of us dearly. _

_We had no idea we could create such destruction!_

_Well, as I said, it happened when we gathered at the dojo. They stood before me, all expecting _me_ to lead them, just because _I _figured out how to become enlightened; I wish I had never gained that responsibility, and I regret ever trying to be the leader._

_I had us do some breathing exercises, and some stretching. Then we focused our energies, which had tripled since our last gathering. The power grew so _fast_; we had no idea..._

_Anyway, we finished our exercises, when I thought, _Hey, why not try to use this energy, see what we're dealing with_._

_Bad move, I suppose. _

_They stood in rows of ten and in columns of ten, all standing in front of me. I gathered my energy into my arms, slowly releasing it. A white glow engulfed my outstretched hands, and so I began to raise my arms. _

_As I brought my arms up, I felt the power build. Until my arms came to the peak, as far as they could go. Then as I slowly pressed the palms of my hands together, the power shot out of my hands faster than my eyes could follow._

_It spread out around me, forming an encompassing cover, a 360 degree shield. The others gasped, and I nodded. They tried it in turn, and the effect was the same... _

_Except that it was a hundred times more powerful. The shields didn't cover them each individually, oh no; it was just one large dome, enveloping them all._

_It looked amazing at first, until I began to notice the rippling power it held. White streaks veined the transparent globe, and they pulsed with power. I had no idea how it might react, so I tried to tell them to stop. Some heard me and complied, others did not. It was about half and half, but I suppose that didn't sit well with the globe._

_The disruption in the flow of power upset what they had created, and white objects began to rain down from inside the dome. The dome, though half its power gone, still held strong and stayed around them. That's when the others stopped as well in an attempt to get out. _

_The dome was too strong for them to escape!_

_I was left to stand idly by as my comrades were crushed by otherworldly objects of their own creation. The immense density of said objects apparently made them much heavier than their size would suggest. They fell randomly, and to my friends' credit, many managed to dodge these objects with ease. But some just fell too _fast_._

_Needless to say, by the time the 'shield' disappeared (an hour later, a minute later, ten seconds later. I have no clue but it seemed like an eternity), the other objects were fading as well. Beneath most of the objects lay a bloody mess, a mess that had once been a fellow _samurai_. A former _friend_!_

Zen was now sweating profusely, deciding to end his log here after a moment of calming down:

_My name is Renzaki Zen, and I will control my rage, and my power._

"Let me in! I need to see Zen!" screamed someone, a male voce, who seemed in a rush.

"Zen has been confined to this room to meditate. You may see him when he is released," a patient, trained voice spoke. _One of the cowards who do not dare question the elders contradicted dictations._

"But I have something important to tell him!" the voice spoke again, and it seemed to Zen that the person who owned the voice was young, possibly his own age.

"Please leave, or be escorted out," the guard responded in a no-nonsense tone.

"Zen! If you can hear me, they've come back! The twenty of our group who left for-" There was a shuffling sound, and a thud. Zen was now placed firmly against the door, trying to hear the muffled voice.

"Shut up, you fool! No outside contact for those who are punished!" A thwack, and a moan ensued that remark. A few more sounds of a struggle before the fellow spoke once more;

"The group from Bird Country has returned, and they are all okay! They've brought a-!" THWACK, and silence. Zen could then hear the faint sound of something dragging across the carpeted floor in the hallway outside.

With a sigh, he shuffled back to his bed. He was excited by the news, but had no energy to show for it. A month confined in a room with only a few glasses of water a day took a lot out of a man, but they would _never… _Zen shook his head, rethinking,

'_No, they _could_ never break my spirit. No matter what they do to me.'_

_

* * *

_

Jiraiya landed in front of the first gate of Kaimu, shaking with anger. Somehow, those samurai had found the cube on their journey to the Road Town, and then, when they got close enough, they did _something_. But the cube was there... and just before they disappeared, he saw a flash of blonde hair. _Her _hair_._

"NARUTO! GET OUT HERE, NOW! We have a mission," Jiraiya barked, sending a hard kick into the nearest clone guard. Just before it puffed out, it went flying into the monstrously high wall. "And bring Hinata, with any gear you may need."

With that, he kicked another clone in the stomach, causing it to cough blood before disappearing. Jiraiya was furious, and he didn't feel like hiding his anger from Naruto. This was one of the very _few_ precious people he had left in his life, and he'd be damned before he lost her.

Five minutes later, Naruto and Hinata were standing tentatively before their sensei, who looked down on them, anger flashing in his eyes. "Y-yes, sensei?" Naruto spoke up with cautious eyes. He didn't like the memories his clones sent him.

"I tracked down the cube..." Jiraiya started, now regaining his composure with arms crossed over his red vest. Naruto looked like he was about to speak, but Jiraiya shook his head. "A band of samurai had come into possession of it, a few kilometers away from the Road Town." At this, Naruto's eyes widened. "And, while I watched them, there was some sort of transparent glow, like a dome around them. This dome became more concentrated and palpable when the lead samurai began to concentrate his energy, and just before it was too painful to look at, I saw the cube. And a flash of blonde hair after that..."

Naruto and Hinata gasped. "So, there _is_ a positive chakra?"

Jiraiya stared at them for a moment, then shrugged. "Whatever it is, we have to get out there, and quick. We'll be invading a territory occupied by people who hate us, and skilled fighters as well. But, since you two are masters of stealth, we should have no problem, right?"

They quickly nodded. They were both wearing their battle outfits of gray, high collared flak jackets that had a small supply of soldier pills in the pockets, a few scrolls and some basic weaponry. Under the jacket was a a steel mesh, with a black shirt underneath that. Black pants accompanied that, along with the gauntlets and combat boots. They both had a small back pack strapped around their shoulders.

"Here's the plan..."

* * *

Sasuke hopped into the air, sailing over Kiba and swung his heel down in an arc at Sakura, who barely dodged. As soon as his heel was down, Akamaru leaped up, digging his teeth deep into the Uchiha's leg. The dog immediately found himself chewing on the bark of a log after there was a puff of smoke.

Sakura and Kiba quickly glanced around for their teammate as Akamaru yanked his teeth out of the wood and dashed back to his master who was sniffing the air in long, scrutinizing breaths. Sakura edged closer to her teammate, not knowing what to expect from Sasuke anymore.

All of a sudden, their brooding teammate had picked today to test his strength, demanding all three of them come at him at once. Kakashi had never stopped being their sensei, and had come to train them all individually most days. But Sakura had a sneaking suspicion that he had spent extra time with Sasuke above all the others. And now, here they were: Sasuke had trained for three weeks straight, and he was now trying to assess any results. From what Sakura could tell, the boy had gotten much faster and stronger, his aim with weapons was dead-on accurate as the amount of jutsu he was exhibiting made her very proud of him.

But she knew it was not enough for him. She had begun to wonder if there ever would be enough for Sasuke.

Suddenly the ground beneath Kiba shook and two hands clutched at the dog-nin's feet, pulling him under. In a heartbeat Sasuke was standing over Kiba, whose tattooed face looked red with anger, though it was obscured by the grass. Sasuke was dangling a yipping Akamaru by his back left paw. The Uchiha boy gave a side glance to Sakura, and she thought the saw a slight tint of pink in his normally onyx eyes. Before she could react, Sasuke let go of Akamaru and was now standing in front of her, making her blush a bit.

The white tank top he was wearing, instead of his heavy blue shirt, outlined his muscled body. His arm warmers were gone and the black shorts he wore reached just past his knees as the usual blue sandals adorned his feet. Sakura herself hadn't changed her usual clothes for the spar, but Kiba had taken off his hoodie, leaving only a gray v-neck t-shirt, and his pants were replaced with gray shorts with black paw prints on each leg. But at the moment none of his clothes could be seen as the only part of his body above ground was yelling at Sasuke.

But none of this mattered, because Sasuke was so _close!_ If she inched her face forward, she could kiss his _neck!_ At that thought, her face only became a heavier shade of crimson.

"Sakura... I want you and Kiba to start training with me." Sasuke said, his eyes flicking between pink and black. Was it just her, or was his heart rate a little high?

"Y-yeah, Sasuke-kun!" Inner Sakura was filling her head with all sorts of things she could do with him instead of training, and Sakura had to look away to hide her embarrassment.

"Now. Again!" Sasuke yelled, stamping his left foot down, causing Kiba shoot out of his earthen prison. Each of them jumped away, positioning themselves a good distance away from one another. Sakura slid into a basic taijutsu stance, her body turned sideways to Sasuke, right foot out, left foot placed strongly behind her. Her open-palmed left hand was positioned closely by her face, and the other hand was extended in front of her. She was mostly prepared to defend.

Kiba got on all fours after Akamaru transformed into his twin; they crouched side by side, snarling at their male teammate. Sasuke merely stood his ground with feet placed firmly on the soft earth, one fist extending to Sakura, one to Kiba and Akamaru.

A breeze blew by, making the tall, thin grass wave as they stood stock-still in the training ground bordering the ocean. Trees scattered across the borders of it as their branches brushed each other in the wind.

The Kibas launched, one high in the air, the other speeding to Sasuke on all fours. They hit at the same time, but what they hit exploded into a pile of mud that covering the two Kibas.

Sasuke came down from above, landing both feet atop the two boys. He smirked, "Just like a dog, always wanting to play in the mud."

The two mud-covered boys growled and simultaneously erupted upwards in a fast series of kicks and spins. A renegade mud blob hit an unprepared Sakura in the face.

Now Sasuke was dancing back, defending himself from his teammates' attacks. He continued to retreat, his hands working fast to deflect the punches. Suddenly, one Kiba disappeared in a blur of speed, catching Sasuke off guard.

Sakura could see the missing Kiba crouched silently behind her crush, and knew what was about to happen. She didn't know if she should yell out to the boy or not, but then, she thought, she would be doing him wrong. Besides, he had asked for all of them to come at him, so why wasn't she helping Kiba and Akamaru? Was this how it would be in a real battle?

Sakura suddenly dashed forward, the mud still caked around her eyes. She was in an all-out run, coming straight at Sasuke's front, where Kiba was still attacking wildly.

She leaped in the air, sailing eight feet up, plummeting at high speed. A foot came out, and she noticed a small glimmer of surprise come from the Uchiha's eyes. Sasuke's hand darted forward and caught her foot, but at the same time his other hand caught Kiba's punch, leaving himself defenseless. Kiba grinned and threw his last punch, finally pushing his teammate to the goal. Sasuke tripped over the Akamaru-Kiba-clone, and landed in the soft earth, Kiba and Sakura piling on top of him.

Now that the whole team was in a heap, closely packed together, Akamaru under Sasuke's legs, and Sakura and Kiba on top of Sasuke, they all began laughing. Even Sasuke had joined in.

"Not to interrupt your fun time or anything, but there's a crisis going on," a cool, nonchalant voice spoke up, and the young ninja looked up to see their sensei, Kakashi.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! We were just training..." Sakura spoke up, suddenly blushing. She just noticed how she was huddled up on Sasuke's chest.

"Yes, I saw... good work. Your teamwork was good... but Sakura, you acted too slowly. In battle, that could have cost Kiba, Sasuke, or Akamaru their life." Kakashi eyed her for a moment, then shrugged. "Anyway, the Utsurokages and Jiraiya are going out on an A-ranked mission to rescue Tsunade. They sent me a message before they left, and said to gather an emergency meeting with the ninja of the village. They finally established who are ninja at what rank. A building has been prepared in the Outer Core, sort of a stadium... I expect to see you there in an hour."

When they all nodded, Kakashi walked away, pulling out an orange-covered book. He had tried to use the Konoha teleporting jutsu a few times before, and it didn't work. Naruto had mentioned to him before that only he and Hinata could do it in this village, so it was pointless to try. He had once tried to copy the teleporting jutsu Naruto had developed, but he couldn't use it. Naruto's abilities were special, that was something Kakashi had to admit.

* * *

Naruto stood at the gate of the Road Town as a squad of guard samurai stood atop the tall gate. '_They upped the security...'_ Naruto thought morosely, wondering if he would make it to the target on time. He was the only one to be going this way, so he was the only one to have to deal with this stupid town. He easily walked through the closed gate, noting the darker shade of his surroundings. When he had came close enough, he had quickly jumped in-between dimensions, so he wouldn't be spotted. But something was eerie about these samurai, and it gave him a small shiver to think about the white glow that Jiraiya mentioned.

Naruto ran quickly through the town, keeping under the cover of the jutsu. He didn't need to have any trouble, and would need every bit of strength for the infiltration of the samurai village. He wasn't as good at holding his breath as Hinata, and could only hold it for ten minutes at best while running. So his time was limited, and he needed to get out quick.

The edge of the town was coming into view now, which sent a wave of relief over the boy's body. He made a mad dash, speeding right at the wooden obstacle. Past the samurai, and past the Road Town.

Now he was out, and he was running out of air. He looked back to make sure he was far enough out, and quickly let go of the chakra, slipping back into his home dimension. He filled his lungs, and let out a sigh, enjoying the fresh air that he had been deprived of.

He stopped for a moment, looking back to the direction he came from. "I hope nothing happened to Tsunade... Jiraiya would have my head!"

With renewed vigor he took off again, traveling fast down the path, hurrying to get to the target.

* * *

Hinata stood before the white statue which swirled upwards high above her head, ending in a point. It was massive, and a crater surrounded it as if it had been dropped from the sky. The dark tint that the world had now was slightly annoying, as was the urge to breathe. But even if she opened her mouth to take in a breathe, there wouldn't be anything to breathe. In this place, air didn't exist.

She soldiered on, enduring the lack of oxygen, enduring the loneliness of not belonging to anything, not even to a dimension. She moved quickly, not exactly sure how. It seemed that she could walk around, like there was a thing called gravity, as if there actually was a ground beneath her feet. She imagined this must be what spirits who did not travel to the afterlife must feel like; unseen, lonely, and not sure how exactly they could still be in the world of living, when in fact they were not.

The trees were thick, untouched. They must be hundreds of years old to have grown so massive. Hinata didn't think there was a place in the world that ninjas hadn't affected, but she now knew she was wrong. This must be why no ninja ever came here. There were only trees, no sign of a population, no sign of _anything._

She soon joined her usual dimension, after sweeping the area with her Byakugan. It was easy to get from tree to tree. Because they were so massive and the branches so large, they mostly intertwined together, forming long catwalks above the ground. And it was darker than it should have been. The tall treetops soaked up all the sunshine, and only a few trickles of light filtered between the canopy.

Hinata found herself running, not having to bother to hop trees. The trees seemed to go on for miles, and it only fortified her reasoning for no ninja disturbance, and she also began to doubt there was a village of samurai at all. Maybe the samurai who made the white stone had tricked them, and the Road Town was all that was left...

And then she saw it, a ways up ahead, with her Byakugan.

"Oh my god..."

* * *

Kakashi stood in the middle of a vast, green field. An ambient blur of sound surrounded him on all sides, the circular stadium was packed with Kaimu ninja. Kakashi had to blink in surprise. He had not expected to see such a large military force.

A large platform had been set up, and in the middle of the wooden stage was a podium with a microphone. He could see large speakers placed all around the stadium's high walls. He supposed this would be the place the Chuunin exams would be held if they ever came to Kaimugakure.

Kakashi walked up the steps and the crowd was suddenly silent. His footsteps echoed loudly around him, and he was soon standing before the microphone. A bulleted list sat atop the wooden projection, and Kakashi performed a few hand signs too quickly for the average ninja to follow. An astral projection appeared over his head, and it showed the image of Bird Country, a vast landscape of destruction.

The image was an overhead view of what had once been a large, prosperous village of regular civilians. Now all that could be seen was broken walls, dead bodies, a dried up lake, and ninja weapons. Lots and lots of blood-coated ninja weaponry.

"This, my fellow Kaimu ninja, was a once proud village of Bird country, where peace was commonplace. What you are seeing is all that remains of the capitol, once home to many beautiful rare birds. Once bathed in the beauty of the Wataridori lake, giving it the name Wataridori City. It turned into a battlefield between Wind Country and Rock Country, and many Suna and Iwa nin were sent to this city to claim it as their own territory, resulting in a large-scale battle. They have yet to declare war on each other, but the strains are there." Kakashi looked around, staring at the rows and rows of silent ninja, letting them take in the picture.

He did a few more hand seals and the image changed, and now showed a monstrous gate, with large steel bars crisscrossing over it as towers framed the gate, a glimpse of a metal wall extending out from the gate. Trails of electricity could be seen on the gate, giving it a sort of intimidating presence. To top it all off, ninja in bodysuits with masks on and oxygen tanks could be seen standing in the tall towers and on their roofs.

"This, as you may have guessed, is the new gate of Rain Country. The only way to get in is through this gate. Their security has been peaked, and ninja are dotted along the border at all times. Because the country is so small, it's easier to secure. It sits on the east border of Bird Country, and has turned away all refugees that may have come to their gate. The gate itself is on the east end of the country, pointing to Fire Country, so not many of the refugees made it that far. In short order, between Iwa and Suna, genocide was committed, and no Bird civilian remains."

A solemn mood settled over the stadium as a short moment of silence was allowed for the innocents of Bird. "Now, it has been reported that though Rain was supposed to host the upcoming Chuunin Exams, they have refused to do so, and Konoha has generously offered their assistance in covering for Rain. Amegakure has no clear treaties with anyone, so their defenses are understandable considering their country is placed in-between five shinobi countries. They sense what is coming, and are preparing for it."

A few more hand signs were made, and Kakashi's final image appeared. It was a world map, with a circle on it. Below Fire country, a crescent-shaped peninsula extended out into the ocean. The circle was placed on the uppermost portion of the peninsula which stretched out to the east. Between it was a bit of Fire land, then Tea Country. The east section of the peninsula was circled, and a question mark sat in the center. "This is what is believed to be an unknown, untouched village of samurai."

A roar of laughter emitted from the stadium, and it echoed throughout the area. 'Samurai? What can they do?', 'Har har har! There's still some of those pathetic bastards left?' and 'Who the hell cares about that old bunch of trash?' were some comments Kakashi caught before silencing the whole stadium with a single sentence.

"They have captured the Legendary Sennin Tsunade." A quietness so thick that it could be felt within the ear replaced the loud laughter that preceded it. "Our leaders and Jiraiya-sama have left on a mission to rescue her. A power unknown to us ninja has been exhibited from these samurai, and they are not to be underestimated. They have gone unnoticed for many years, which proves they are a force to be recognized. They are believed to be responsible for these so called 'land disputes' over Bird Country. If you meet up with a samurai, you are ordered not to engage in combat, and report it back to the village immediately via chakra hawk." The chakra hawk technique was a required jutsu to be a Kaimu ninja. Naruto and Hinata had discussed that, above all, knowledge was crucial. It was a simple enough jutsu, that wasn't very chakra extensive. A few hand seals, and enough chakra, you had a transparent silhouette of a hawk that could carry messages quickly and effectively. Because of their being transparent, they were harder to spot, which maximized the chance of a successful delivery.

"The Kages of Kaimugakure implore all of you to refine your skills in the many training grounds in and around the Shell layer of the village. They see the war coming, and so does everyone else. Be prepared, it's just a matter of time.

* * *

Sasuke walked ahead of his three teammates, deep in thought. He had changed back into his normal attire, and his hands were deep in his tan shorts pockets. They walked down the brightly lit streets, crowds mulling around them. After the address that Kakashi gave, almost every ninja had been inspired to train immediately, and so all of the training grounds were filled, and the many ninja tools' shops were nearly depleted. Kakashi had said that this gave the village two very good benefits; stronger shinobi, and an economic stimulus.

So, here was the old Team 7, walking around in the Outer Core, heading towards Tanaka's weapon shop. Sasuke had described the masterful works of art to his teammates, and so they had decided to buy new tools as well.

They soon came upon the shop which was sandwiched between a long line of shops, all along the street. Lifting the curtain, they walked in.

As soon as they entered, they bumped into a rather large crowd. Weapons were disappearing like crazy, and money was flying. Briefly, Sasuke caught a glimpse of a running Tanaka, going to the back of the shop to fill someone's order. With a sigh, the Uchiha boy looked back at his teammates, "We'll have to do without new stuff for a while."

Kiba shrugged, "No reason we can't go back to my place and catch a quick dinner."

* * *

Hinata stared out at the samurai village. It was _massive_. Probably larger than Konoha.

Where the trees suddenly end, the village abruptly began. The walls were concrete, and rose up far enough that it shadowed half the village. She could see the careful allotments of land and closely packed buildings. Many towers lined the walls that gave off a low thrum. Cables ran from the towers into the ground, giving Hinata the assumption that they were power generators.

The buildings all had green roofs, probably to camouflage it and blend in with the surrounding trees. Hinata looked out using her Byakugan and saw little dots of samurai training all in courtyards that were placed throughout the large village. She saw large dojos, apartment buildings, and what looked like a high-security prison at the very end of the village.

"Tsunade could be anywhere in there...?" she asked herself, examining every place she could. Because she was a good distance away, she could not make out very many details, even with her bloodline limit activated. Taking a deep breath, she found her resolve and hardened her consciousness, preparing herself. "First wave, going in."

And with that she took off, the sun setting somewhere behind her.

* * *

Jiraiya stood back against the stone wall. It was quiet, the sun was setting, and the shadows were cast over him, making his genjutsu even more effective at hiding him. A guard had come by earlier, so Jiraiya had to quickly disperse of the man. Now, at the Sennin's feet lay a bald-headed corpse in a white kimono.

When the signal was given, Jiraiya would converge on the target. But in the meantime, his only worry was about not raising any suspicion; he had to get rid of the body.

* * *

Naruto clung to the north side of the village's wall, a brush in his right hand, chakra enhanced ink in his left. He had been working for ten minutes now, and was almost complete. When the signal was given, he'd activate the seal, setting it to explode in five minutes.

"Old man, you better be quick."

* * *

"Renzaki Zen, your time has been served." The door opened, an old man stood there, holding a tray of glorious food.

Zen, slowly looked over at the doorway, eyes slowly focusing on the food. A grin spread on his lips, the stubble from not shaving apparent. He got up from his bed and moved across the roll, his journal scrolls in his kimono next to his honor blade.

With a nod, he took the food and went down the corridor, his bare feet treading softly on the carpeted floor. He passed many doors with guards stationed outside of them until he finally came to a stairway and another hallway.

Quickly downing the food, he dropped the tray and pushed past the door separating him from freedom, and took the stairs three at a time. Soon enough, he made it to the first floor and made a mad dash for the rotating glass door with the sign that said EXIT above it.

As soon as he was out, Zen breathed in the fresh air and took a look at the night sky. A strange glow hovered above a building in the military district, and from the height and cylindrical structure of the building, he knew it was the Intel Ops Headquarters.

He took out his wakizashi, and ran for that light.

* * *

Jiraiya now stood inside a wrecked room, rubble littered across the stone floor. Bodies lay all around him, but there was only one thing that caught his eye.

As soon as he came through the wall that had been marked by Hinata, he had found his target. His friend. The only woman he had ever loved, for _her_ not her _body_. But now... what he saw was...

Just a little blonde girl with cute pig tails who looked to be about twelve years old.

* * *

**If you have any questions about the story, feel free to ask. Anything you don't understand, leave a review and I'll try to answer. **


	14. Escape

Jiraiya stood there, looking at a tightly bound, unconscious girl. She wore a small, white kimono like most of the samurai wore. Her long, blonde hair was in pig tails at the back that trailed down her shoulders. Jiraiya could faintly hear her soft breathing as she slept; naturally or forcefully induced, he knew not.

He slowly moved over to the girl, who was leaning up against an unbroken wall. He knelt in front of her, ignoring the loud siren that was blaring in his ears. Footsteps of many samurai clacking up the stairway alerted Jiraiya to the threat he had anticipated and prepared for with a seal on the door that would hold them off for a couple minutes.

He slowly reached out with his right hand and caressed the small girl's cheek, tilting her head up in the process. Pain struck his heart as he stared at the small diamond-shaped sapphire on her forehead. He looked down slightly, seeing the strings of her necklace go down into her shirt.

He stared at her serene face for a moment, thanking the gods that be that she was unharmed and her necklace was still in her possession.

"Congratulations, Tsunade-chan..." he said softly as tears welled up in his eyes, "You've finally obtained your youth again."

And he softly kissed the gem on her forehead, causing her to stir for a moment. It would probably be the last time he would be able to lay his lips on her, the long-lost memories of long missions and same-aged Tsunade were gone, leaving behind a young girl who would grow up once more, and outlive him completely.

Banging was coming from all around him now; shouts and yells came drifting through the giant hole in the wall. Thinking it was about time to leave, he curled his left arm under her knees, and slid his right under her armpits and around her back. Another painful thought came up: this would be the only time he would carry her bridal style. Though he was an old man and she was an old woman, he had once dreamed of retiring at a really old age, and marrying the one true love of his life.

Suddenly, bits of the door crashed against the opposite wall, and samurai came filing in, launching sword attacks at him left and right, up and down.

Shifting his weight, he brought his leg square into the chest of one samurai. It sent him flying back through the door, knocking down several others. A quick sprint to the hole in the wall, and he jumped as the samurai righted themselves. Air rushed up at him like mad, blowing his hair high above him with his clothes billowed loudly. And still Tsunade did not lift an eyelid, providing more evidence that she was drugged.

Jiraiya landed with a loud cracking sound, the concrete ground below him shattering and becoming a rather formidable crater. The debris flew down all around him. A fire had been started somewhere far off to his right.

From the ground level of the village, it was very industrialized. Concrete buildings lined roads, and towers dotted the plots of land. There was even a skyscraper or two, though not nearly as tall as the monstrous trees that shielded the village.

Jiraiya headed north, where an explosion would soon rock the area, and while that was happening, Hinata would be busy creating the diversion in the south by setting fires and creating as much havoc as possible. He hoped to see both of them back at the village, because there was no time to regroup, and no safe place to do it.

'_Jack be nimble, Jack be quick...'_ He thought insanely, not knowing where it came from. But, nonetheless, it induced painful, heartbreaking, maddening laughter.

* * *

Hinata bent sharply left at the waist, extending both her palms out, one striking a samurai's chest and the other his gut. At that moment, time seemed to stop. Her Byakugan was activated, the small orb of chakra was placed behind her head, in her blind spot. She saw a pulse, everything at once.

She stood in a pit of destruction that her chakra had drilled as she took on samurai after samurai. Rubble lay all around, like a bomb had gone of from underneath. During the time-stopping pulse, she saw she was surrounded. The fires that were all around on the outside of the crater-like pit, casting furious shadows on the surrounding samurai.

Then time resumed and her palms let out a burst of chakra, shutting down the man's bowels, thus permanently disabling his main chakra coils in his chest. He would die a very slow, very painful death.

She straightened her posture just as the man hit the ground, and she stared up at the samurai in front of her. The large pit was filled with their fallen comrades who dared challenge her Jyuuken powers. If they were ninja, she'd had ranked them at genin, maybe low chuunin. Their speed was quick, and their strength was monstrous. She also had to congratulate them on their agility and accuracy with the sword, which had gifted her with a few bloody cuts on her sides. Her battle armor was worn, her favorite flak jacket was in shreds, so she had tossed it aside.

She now wore a simple sleeveless black shirt with a metal mesh underneath, black pants with shuriken holsters on each thigh, metal-plated black combat boots. And her gauntlets, which had been weighted as well since her training with Jiraiya had begun. He had instructed her on how to draw simple seals to increase the weights when needed, but had told her not to push it. And finally, her Kaimu hitai-ate, which hung loosely around her neck.

She flexed her fingers. smiling about the microscopic pores which allowed her chakra to flow through the gauntlets so as not to disrupt her main fighting style.

"You have two choices," a calm, commanding voice spoke as a man stepped up from the crowd of angered samurai. He donned a long katana on his left side, and was wearing... well... Hinata had to think back to her academy days, and found the word for it. On his head he wore the samurai helmet, or _kabuto_, which angled back and covered a long flow of midnight-black hair. The helmet was painted bright red, and had a demon mask attachment to the front that covered his face. His shoulder and arm guards looked like steel, with bright red painting. On his torso was a a steel body armor with interwoven leather strips. His skirt was in the same style, with iron plates woven together by leather. His shin guards were shiny, and looked strong. They were emblazoned by a fiery art, and above the shin guards were thigh guards, or _haidate_. "One, is to honorably take your own life, while you still can."

A few menacing chuckles came from that remark, and one daring samurai actually spit in her direction. "Two, you can die shamefully at my men's hands... and I assure you, they won't be gentle with your tiny body." A few grunts adjoined that suggestion, and a wolf call sounded from somewhere.

Hinata glared at the man with her Byakugan, and saw his face. He had thin, dark eyebrows, with a scar running along his forehead. His cheek bones were prominent, his nose straight, and his teeth just as standard, and white. He had a malicious _grin_, and his deep hazel eyes twinkled. That's when she glanced at his chakra network, and gasped slightly. They were very large, very strong. She wondered how well her Jyuuken would work on such a strong system of chakra coils. '_This must be the village leader_,' she thought morbidly

She stared him down, and slowly raised a fist up, extending it out in the man's direction. A small smile flicked across her features, and her middle finger popped out of the fist, flipping the man off.

"This is not the end to my life," she said, as her free hand made a two fingered seal, "it's just the end to my mission." And with that, the samurai charged into the pit, where Hinata vanished into nothingness.

* * *

Zen glared up at the military tower, which was worse for the wear. A man had jumped out of a rather large hole at the top but Zen had decided not to pursue. He had learned how to sense, if vaguely, another man's chakra. This particular man that had broken into the tower and exited so quickly had been very strong. Too strong for Zen to handle on his own.

Samurai were not trained in the art of stealth, so he did not try to shadow the man. Instead, he decided to get to the explosion in the north wall. It was small, so it wouldn't have been noticed if you were distracted. Which was what seemed to be happening.

Off to the south, Zen could hear explosions and see fires. He smelled the putrid odor of sulfur, and the heat of the fire made him sweat. Choosing the greater of the evils was hard.

He could go find out more information on the ninjas north, or help his fellow samurai control the incidents in the south. The decision came easy enough, and he headed north at top speed.

* * *

Naruto was _zooming_ through the forest. He was at top speed, heading back to Kaimugakure. He had to get back as soon as possible.

The size of that village was more than he had expected. The samurai were now a force he did not have the resources to fight. Small infiltration missions, sure. Full scale war, not so good.

They would now train harder, knowing that their secret was out. So, that put every ninja village at a disadvantage. But Kaimu and Konoha much less so, due to their knowing of it. Naruto had suspicions that Rain knew more about recent happenings than anyone, and he also had a suspicion that they may have been allied with the samurai at all times.

But those matters would come later.

Right now, he was worried about Hinata, Jiraiya, and Tsunade. The secrets in that necklace were important, but are they worth the lives of the two most important people in his life? Probably not.

But, Jiraiya had made the mission plans, and his job was complete. Hinata and Jiraiya should be following by now, but he wasn't supposed to slow down.

Naruto's blue orbs widened noticeably for a moment, before he stopped. There was a chakra signature coming, and fast. It wasn't like any he had encountered before.

Wait, that wasn't true now that he thought about it... He had encountered it once, but it hadn't been this hardened, this determined before. But there was no mistake about it. It was him. The hatred was still there, only the amount of it's fury was tenfold of what it had been before...

* * *

Zen had managed to get ahead of the other ninja without being detected. The man had been carrying something, and had trouble with it for some reason.

Not his problem.

The only thing he could think about was the energy that was ahead of him. It was the boy he had let through the town. It was the boy he had trusted enough to allow him to pass. It was the boy who did not look like anything special. Now, that boy had come back to bite Zen in the ass, and he couldn't allow that to happen again.

Whatever happened, he wasn't going to let that boy pass him by again.

So, he increased the chakra in his legs, surged out energy into his whole body, and let the rage flow. And with the rage came white hot power.

* * *

Naruto had barely a second to turn around and clash a kunai against the oncoming man's wakizashi. And the moment he defended, the man was gone. With a pop, then an appeared behind Naruto, making the boy hop upwards, barely avoiding the stab with the small blade.

Naruto landed in a different tree, and tried to look at the man he had seen a month ago. He saw him.

He still wore the white kimono, but the sword was gone. His hair was greasy and unwashed, giving it a stringy look. It was still silver, but it's shine was gone. His hard eyes were still a steely color, and the man radiated a white glow. His bloodlust and killing intent were heavy in the air, making Naruto's flesh bump up, and his hairs stand on end.

"I should have never let you pass!" The man spoke, and an icy spike of hatred struck Naruto. Then he attacked once more. One moment he was in the other tree, and the next he was slashing wildly at Naruto, his wakizashi moving at a speed that left Naruto dodging and defending.

Then the man got the edge, striking Naruto in the face with a hard fist.

* * *

Zen smashed the boy in the face with a left hook, and swung his honor blade up at the rising boy. He parried once more, but that didn't matter to Zen. He leapt, striking at the ninja's kunai with hard blows. He struck rapidly, sending the boy higher, and himself back down to a tree. He watched the ninja recover and land safely in on a thick branch not twenty feet away. With all of his speed, Zen zipped out and delivered the bottom of his wooden sandals into the blond nin's chest, forcing the air out with a whoosh.

The boy smacked into a thick tree trunk, not allowing him to catch his breath. And Zen was on top of him once more, sending a hard kick into the boy's side that lifted him into the air, then punched him in the back, sending him down with a thud.

"You think you can attack my village and get away with it, you filthy scum?" Zen said, glaring at the back of the now wheezing ninja. He allowed the boy to catch a breath.

"My name is Naruto, and you will respect me!" He managed to gasp out, and it only gave Zen a grin. He loved it when he had an enemy who thought so much of themselves.

Zen pushed out a foot, rolling this 'Naruto' kid over, and looked down at the boy. His grey flak jacket and matching pants, with a steely mesh under a dark blue shirt were nothing intimidating. Even his heavy looking boots were nothing special. But the kid's gauntlets were nothing short of extraordinary.

As Zen looked down at the metal plated gloves, he noticed small seals running along each bar of metal. And there were quite a few bars. Also, with his unordinary chakra, his eyes could see something they couldn't when he saw the ninja a month ago.

There was a dark aura surrounding the boy, at least, it _looked_ dark. That's all he could think it was, but it seemed to be much more. And that same aura was concentrated into a sort of solid, which surrounded the gloves like an outer layer..

Reaching down, he grabbed the blond ninja by the collar of his buttoned-up flak jacket, and lifted him to eye level. He looked beaten and wore out, so Zen knew his blows had affected him. There was a determination in the blue eyes he looked into. A determination he had seen in no other person. It was the sort of concrete perseverance he fancied himself to have. But he knew he had nothing on this boy, whose eyes spoke volumes about what his destiny could be.

If Zen allowed him to have a destiny.

"Why do you have this abnormal chakra?" Zen asked softly, gazing into those electric eyes. "There are supposed to be only six types..."

To Renzaki's chagrin, the boy smiled and answered with a question, "Why do _you_ have this abnormal chakra, when there are only supposed to be six?" Before Zen could defend himself, the boy's eyes narrowed and his heavily armored hands thrust out, striking the samurai hard in the chest. He immediately released the ninja as he convulsed in pain while he fell from the high branch.

With a smack, he landed on a thicker branch below.

* * *

Naruto hopped down, wiping dirt from his face. He landed beside his enemy, and looked down at the man who was hugging himself tightly, and curled up into a fetal position.

"I assume you're not familiar with the ninja rules. Well, one of them states quite clearly... 'Don't let your opponent get too close to you'. And that one, my friend, is a very important rule." Naruto smiled as he unlatched his gauntlets. It would leave him without complete control of the negative chakra, but he'd do fine without perfect control anyway. Besides, he wanted to test how much stronger he had gotten since Hinata and himself had added weights to their gauntlets and boots in their first training session two months ago.

* * *

"Sasuke, I have too many students to teach to go on a training trip. And while the Utsurokages and Jiraiya are gone, I am the village leader."

Kakashi eyed Sasuke over his orange book, and past his wooden desk. He was sitting at the front of a rather large classroom, behind his desk, enjoying the time alone. The large room was brightly lit, and outside, through the windows, an electrically lit courtyard could be seen where a few ninja were exercising.

"But with so much happening, and the need for stronger ninja..." The Uchiha began, looking at his teacher sternly.

"You nad the others have been training well together within the village, is that not enough?"

"No."

Kakashi sighed, closing his book and stuffing it into one of his green jacket's many pockets. He leaned forward, and gave his student a lazy look. "When they come back, I'll request time off to teach you four."

"Four?" Sasuke said, crossing his arms

"Yes. If I train just you, I wouldn't be a very good sensei, now would I?" Kakashi smiled under his mask, though Sasuke couldn't see it.

"I need the training! I need to get stronger! I can't even activate my damn SHARINGAN!" Sasuke screamed, finishing with his eyes closed, and his fists at his sides.

"Sasuke, I understand what you are going through..." Kakashi began, but Sasuke glared at him, and he stopped.

"How the hell would you know what I am going through? Was your family slaughtered before your eyes? Did your brother torture you for three days, making you watch your parents death over and over and over?! And how the hell did you get your Sharingan anyway?!" Sasuke finished, his eyes beginning to glimmer with a bit of moisture, though he did not show that he noticed.

Kakashi leaned back in his chair, looking at his student evenly. "I will not tell you of what I have seen, or what I have been through. I was an only child; so no, I had no brother. I wasn't an Uchiha, so I know you feel mixed emotions for my having the Sharingan. Everything you have asked, you do not want to hear. You want to justify your anger. You just want to prove to yourself you are the only one to feel pain, the only one to have to bear such sorrow. I assure you, in the life of a ninja, you are not the first that these things have happened to. So stop whining and get over it."

Sasuke clenched and unclenched his fists, and he bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed. "I... you..." He muttered, before turning and running away. Kakashi let out a sigh as he watched the sparkle of tears trailing behind the boy.

"A ninja should never let anyone see his tears."

And Kakashi leaned back in his chair once more, and relaxed his muscles that he had not noticed had tensed. He propped his feet up, thinking of his younger self, and of his friend Obito...

* * *

Jiraiya leaned back against the large tree. He had to stop a bit earlier, because Tsunade had been having trouble with her sleep-like state. He had to use a genjutsu to keep her from waking up, or thrashing about.

He didn't want to have to deal with her being conscious until they were safely back into the village. Even then, he didn't know if he could handle it. There was just something eating away at his insides. A month in that cube had made her revert to her younger years.

"I guess we are lucky you weren't in there for too much longer," Jiraiya said with a sigh as he stroked the girl's long locks. She was resting in his lap peacefully, and he wondered if this was what having a daughter would be like.

He had been thinking about the physics and concepts of what Naruto and Hinata were doing, but he couldn't wrap his mind around it. It was definitely a space-time jutsu like the Hiraishin that Naruto's father had developed, but it was somehow different. Something just made it completely unlike the Hiraishin altogether. But he'd let Naruto deal with the theories and concepts from now on. He had even considered going into the cube himself, but it was still such an untested, dangerous jutsu.

He had doubted it would work, but in fact it had worked all too well. And if Naruto could capture whole squads of ninja in a cube, it would be a very useful jutsu. But, as it was, Jiraiya didn't even want to think about it. Naruto had taken Jiraiya's chance with Tsunade, and had given Tsunade her youth back all at the same time.

Deciding not to dwell on it, he stood up and held his former teammate in his arms once more, and began his ascent back to the monstrous tree tops.

* * *

Naruto was insanely fast without his weights on. He moved in a blur of motion around the samurai, delivering kicks and punches on every side.

He would appear on one side, slam his fist into the silver-haired samurai, then appear on the other, to slam his foot into him, stopping his momentum. Then Naruto would repeat.

So far, it's been working away, and Naruto was surprised to find the man still conscious when he ceased.

* * *

As Zen was beaten to a pulp, he felt no pain. Just an increase in his rage, and a spike to his power. Soon, it would happen. And he knew the boy was not ready for _that._

When the pounding ceased, he lay face down on the hard wood of a tree branch that stretched for many yards in width.

'_It's time,'_ he thought, and pushed himself up into a kneeling position, and finally, he stood. He wobbled a bit on bruised legs, but stood firm. The white glow was now palpable on his skin, and the rage blinded him. All he saw was white, but everything within his white globe of chakra he could _feel._ And he felt the boy not too far off, anf knew he was surprised.

Zen held out his arms to his sides, and stretched them out wide. They began their ascent upwards.

* * *

Naruto watched the samurai, his wakizashi out of sight, his kimono torn and ragged, his hair stringy and unwashed. He watched the man raise his hands slowly, and the white power that surrounded the samurai grew, and Naruto could feel it on his skin. It was ice cold, but as it touched him, he could feel the rage that the samurai harbored.

The sheer power of the rage shocked Naruto stiff, making him unprepared for what happened next.

* * *

Zen clashed his hands together, and opened the hole between universes.

Completely different planes collided in a white hot flash, and within that instant, reality seemed to unravel.

* * *

Hinata stopped immediately, landing with a lurch on a thick, dark branch. Far up ahead, with her Byakugan, she could see a samurai gathering a chakra she had never seen before. Above the samurai's head, she saw a small sphere taking shape, and the man's hands were closing in on it. Something told her that if his hands met, something amazing would happen.

She was sort of anxious to see it, and was watching closely, partly excited.

Until, that is, she saw Naruto standing a few feet away from the man, shielding his eyes from the glare...

* * *

Naruto saw only darkness, and could feel a cool breeze pass over him. He felt like he was floating, and he could actually smell something. Was it moisture? Yeah, a steamy smell...

Then he realized his eyes were closed, so he opened them. Only to see whiteness.

"Trippy, isn't it?" a voice said, making Naruto start.

"Who's there?" Naruto would do a 360 turn, to find the owner of the voice, but he didn't feel his body...

He couldn't feel anything, really, besides the breeze. The breeze he now realized that seemed to be going _through_ him.

"The name is Renzaki Zen. I am the god of this place." The voice said again, seeming to echo itself throughout... everywhere.

"God? Zen? What the hell?" Naruto said, becoming frustrated and, if only slightly, scared.

"Ah, I forgot. I never told you my name before. I was the samurai you were fighting. And I am the prime user of the "Positive Chakra" as I like to call it."

"Positive... Ah, I see. It all makes sense now."

"Oh?"

"Of course. I should have known. There is only one _real _universe." Naruto elaborated, a cheerful tone in his voice.

"Universe? Is that what you think this is?"

An image flickered through Naruto's free floating mind, and it looked more like a color. Red. "Of course. What else would it be?"

"According to you, nothing. If you really believe there is only one real universe, than obviously this is not one."

"There's a difference between _real_ and real. Ya know?" Naruto felt a sort of serenity in this place. A sense of well-being washed over him.

Suddenly, a world came into view. It was a labyrinth of white, marble walls. The Samurai stood before Naruto, who now had his own body back, and this Zen guy didn't look happy. "You don't seem very surprised by what is happening."

"Well, why should I be? I've sort of expected this to be like it is." Naruto said, looking around at the possible paths.

"Go ahead and explain. Time doesn't exist here." And the setting changed once more.

Naruto smelled burning logs, and cocoa. He was sitting in a lush chair across from Zen, a coffee table between them with hot chocolate on it. A fireplace was set off beside them, next to some expensive looking animal skins and rugs.

"Well, it all started a few years ago..." Naruto said, a smirk playing on his face.

"In a nutshell, please?" Zen asked, a flash of anger crossing his face.

"Why not just extract it from my brain, Mr. God sir?" Naruto laughed, knowing the answer. Zen didn't reply, so Naruto pushed on. "Why are we talking, anyway?"

Zen settled back into his own chair, and he glowed a bit. He was no longer the scraggly looking guy from a few minutes ago. No, he looked holy, and strong. His long silver hair looked healthy and shiny, tied back in a ponytail. His face was dirt free, and his bones weren't as apparent. "I am looking for answers, and my village has none to offer about what is happening to my comrades and myself."

Naruto cocked a brow, "And why should I help you?"

Zen's eyes narrowed, "If you tell me what I want to know, I may let you go back to the other 'universe'."

Naruto laughed, "I've already figured out how to go back." This comment seemed to surprise Zen. "Think of our home universe as a giant gravitational field, and it's constantly sucking its inhabitants in. Even if we leave it, or 'jump', gravity always pulls us back. It's just a matter of getting off the platform that holds you in the air..."

"Fine, fine. I will not pursue you any further if you tell me a few things that you know," Zen stated wearily.

Naruto shrugged, and explained what he knew so far, and what he learned. "You see, what pertains to you mostly is, the other universes. They are packed together tightly, allowing for easy movement between them. Same for dimensions. But only one universe was really formed, this is like a blank sheet of paper, waiting to be drawn on. Energy flew from the first universe and made other, unformed universes. Same for the dimensions. There are other dimensions and planes, but only one real universe, which holds all dimensions. The other universes are blank canvases, and can, well, make you a real 'god' as you put it. But, I assume from that replica of the stone you gave my team, that objects created in this universe do not stay long in the real one. The gravitational pull, you see?"

Zen shrugged, trying to absorb this bit of information.

Naruto looked at Zen levelly, then asked, "Why are your people putting us into war? I thought samurai weren't about trickery."

Zen glared at Naruto for a moment, then sighed. "Your people are pushing us out of existence. We once ruled the world, now it is all ninja. What else can we do?"

"Live in peace?" Naruto suggested, only to make the silver haired samurai burst into a laughing fit.

"Don't even joke. Trust a ninja once, and you're dead." Zen now took on a solemn look. "I am assuming you know more than what the Kages know. About how the war is actually starting."

"I have some ideas and theories," Naruto said, almost feeling sympathy for the samurai's plight.

"Well, we'll part ways now, but I won't let you off so easy next time. I actually hope I do not meet you again, Naruto. Good luck." Zen stood up, and walked over to his ninja adversary.

And, they shook hands. It took hundreds of years, and a parting of universes for it to happen, but a ninja and a samurai shook hands.

* * *

Hinata was slightly disappointed by what happened. The instant the white globe hid them from view, and the samurai's power surged, it was gone again. Both of them were standing, and they eyed each other, until Naruto turned his back on the samurai, who nodded in gratitude, before hopping to the earth and taking off back towards his village.

As Naruto gathered up his weighted boots and gauntlets,Hinata quickly rushed over to join her friend.

"What happened?" She asked worriedly, when she landed beside the blond Utsurokage.

"Nothing. Let's go home." Naruto turned his head and looked at the girl, who had minor cuts and bruises on her face. Her ninja gear was worn, and she looked a bit worse for the wear. Her eyes were soft with concern, her lavender orbs seeming to look down deep into Naruto's own soul. He glanced at her nose, seeing a small scrape on the end. On sheer impulse, he leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose, making her blush like mad.

With a grin, Naruto leaped away, heading back to Kaimugakure. A dazed Hinata soon followed.

* * *

**Hm... I hope that didn't seem too off.**

**Well, I've updated my profile if anyone wants to take a look at it. It may answer a few questions about the story. Also, my goal for making eight chapters.. yeah, not going so well. Chapter 16 is practically beating me to death with writer's block.**

**Well, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. Saturday is nearing, and I'm sorry if Iet you guys down. Inspiration comes in short bursts, so it's hard to hold it still.**


	15. Sharingan

Sasuke growled, kicking over a trash can in his apartment. He wasn't allotted any big land like the clans were given. He wasn't given any subsidies to maybe found something in the Uchiha name. No, there was nothing special about him in this village.

He couldn't even activate the freaking SHARINGAN! He felt disgraced, like he was unworthy of his surname.

Kakashi had told him he would activate it in a moment that was very important to him. Now, what the hell did that mean?

He picked up a porcelain bowl and chucked it through the only window in his apartment, earning a loud shattering crash. He was huffing now, glaring out into the electrically lit, industrialized Outer Core. It had sprung up into a wealthy city, after the Core had finally established trade routes and a market. The economy was growing strong from their fish trade, and their ninja were in high demand.

He had no squad commander at the time, due to Kakashi's extra duties. Everything was starting to suck.

Sure, he got all the training he wanted. Sure, his part-time job at the Ramen stand actually did well. But so what? All that he wanted was to get his Sharingan, to obtain the last trace of the family he had loved so much.

He looked around his trashed living area. He glanced at the ripped up couch, at his overturned tables. He saw scrolls lying everywhere, and the remnants of what had been a training dummy that he had set up when he began his training a few weeks back. As soon as he got back here after his meeting with Kakashi, he had pulverized it. And, he simultaneously busted up his knuckles, making him grow even more furious.

He walked over to the windowsill and busted the fragments of glass that remained. He looked out into the night. The building was new, and was actually quite nice. It was high, and he had one of the upper rooms, which gave him a good view of the Outer Core below, facing south. A few people were still awake and walking about, and he could see many ninja racing across rooftops. Some of them were his age, and he had a strong urge to join them.

To just be a part of a group.

So why wasn't he with his team, when he was feeling so alone? He clenched his teeth, forgetting about his loneliness, and worked on the task at hand. "A special moment?" He spoke softly, feeling the gentle, cool breeze that wafted in from the exposed window. "What do you mean, sensei? A special moment? My first kill or something?" He glanced up at the stars, where he liked to imagine his parents were looking down on him, watching him grow. He knew it was a desperate, lonely thought, but didn't care. "What do I have to do, father?"

There was no response, the stars just continued to sparkle and twinkle, making him more angry.

He thought back on his meeting with Kakashi. Sasuke had been wanting a special training trip, where Kakashi could teach him everything he needed to know about the Sharingan. Where Sasuke could be taught all sorts of awesome jutsu.

Of course, that just couldn't happen.

He leaned forward against the windowsill, enjoying the breeze. He had worked up a sweat destroying the dummy and the apartment along with it. His blue shirt rippled around him as the breeze grew stronger, and he could even feel it coming up the legs of his tan shorts.

"I can't sleep tonight..." He muttered to himself, walking back into the disaster area that had once been his apartment. "So, where's my sandals?"

* * *

Hinata's mind was whirring. '_What was with that?_' she thought airily, her face still tomato red. '_Was it a kiss or what? Why did he do it? What happened during that flash of light?_' So many questions were running through her head, but there was one that overrode them all.

'_Then what does this mean for us?'_ It was a good, fair question. Why had he done it? Hinata had no clue, but the marks on her body were already beginning to disappear, thanks to the half-biju her body contained.

Naruto and herself had been hopping at top speed for a a while now, and they were out of the thick, ancient forest that encompassed the samurai village. Kaimugakure was only a few hours longer away, if they continued traveling at top speed, as they were directed by Jiraiya. So, Hinata had no intentions of stopping Naruto to question his earlier action.

Perhaps he was in just as much confusion and turmoil as she was. Or maybe she was reading too much into it. '_For all I know, I daydreamed it, and it never even happened. It happened so quickly that how can I be for sure that it really did happen?_' She thought morosely, but hoped that it had actually happened. This could be the start of a relationship she had been craving for over three years.

After a few more hours of running, they were past the Road Town, and on their way to the village.

_'Sensei said to go straight to the Tower when we arrived, so we'll have plenty of time to talk before we are interrupted._' She glanced at the sky briefly, and saw that the sun was beginning to rise. _'It's actually been fun, out doing a mission of such importance... and I had never expected it to end like this!_'

* * *

Naruto grinned as he hopped from tree to tree. Such an exciting mission had him pumped up, and his impulsive act of affection to Hinata had been completely unexpected, even to him, but not altogether surprising. He had been having small, similar thoughts about her but had never really known how she might react.

Everything was going well, and he couldn't wait to get back to the village to speak with Tsunade and apologize, and learn the secrets of that necklace and why it bore a symbol that looked like a Sharingan, when chakra was pressed into it.

Of course, though he was excited to get back, he had no clue how pissed Jiraiya was at him for using an untested jutsu on the woman he loved in the first place.

* * *

Inari stood before his comrades who sat in rows and columns, each desk holding three per table. The columns ran away from the podium at which Inari stood, and they angled up slightly, so he had a good view of every face. Well, every mask and cloak. But he could at least still see the yes.

"I have gathered the ANBU ops squads here today to inform you all of our current situation," Inari began, sweeping the audience with his gaze. He had learned that if he kept eye contact with as many as he could, they would pay attention more often. And over the time he'd been leader of Kaimu's ANBU, he trained hard to maintain his position as the strongest, and studied hard on politics and geography. His father was so proud, and was currently training to be a ninja, so had no time to attend the ANBU meeting any longer.

"From what I have gathered from our intel, and from observations of my own, there is another problem we as a new organization must deal with," Inari said, glancing down at his notes, then looking back up. "The ninja of a new clan, from a country outside of our own, is clamoring for the position of ANBU. We, of course, cannot allow this to happen. Only a few people know of our existence, so that is good. But, with these stronger, older, much more experienced ninja wanting _our_ positions in the village, they pose a threat to us."

Inari stepped back, letting his people murmur over this new bit of info, and then stood in front of the stand, bearing a lightweight chest plate, and black pants with pouches on the legs. He wore dull armguards on his forearms, and gloves similar to those of the Utsurokages.

"Tonight, we strike these ninja fast, and we strike them hard. We've all been training our stealth, so we are ready for this mission. This will definitely show that we are not to be messed with, and that our positions are solid." He gave his subordinates a grin, and they mirrored it. They soon stripped off heavy cloaks, revealing their own similar body armor and duplicate gloves.

Inari smiled, and slid on his own Ferret mask. "Tonight, we nail the Berserk clan with a fury they never imagined." When the cheers subsided, the group of fifty ANBU moved throughout their underground base, and soon came up through the many exits, heading to the Berserk compound.

* * *

Sasuke crouched atop a power pole, looking over the various clan compounds. The Momochi clan was farthest from him, out towards the other side of the Outer Core. The Inuzuka were just as far out, at the other end of the second layer of the village. Scattered across the middle were the smaller clans' compounds, with various styled housing, but all were allotted the same huge plot of land. This only increased his anger, and made him feel more excluded than ever.

Sakura had offered him to stay with her clan, and so had Kiba. But he had refused both offers, and sauntered off to his own, small apartment. He didn't need pity, especially from his own teammates.

So here he was, watching the Outer Core with an intense jealousy, and a want for his own family. Sighing, he glanced towards the part of the layer that was closest to the Shell, and saw the Berserk clan's compound. They each had fiery red eyes and wicked red hair. There was only twenty of them, but he had seen them spar. They were powerful, and their speed was breathtaking. If there was a clan that he'd be glad to devote his kekkei genkai to, it would be that ferocious clan. Their women were mostly young, late teens or early twenties, and the men seemed to be only just a bit older.

They had explained to him once, when he had asked, that they didn't believe in clan elders, and it was hard for them to keep the clan alive. Though each generation only becomes stronger, their love for battle only intensifies. And when a woman gets pregnant, they can't leave for battle. So, that was one reason the clan was so small. Another reason was that the men outnumbered the women so far. There were only five women out of the twenty, and all of them were pregnant. Which only left fifteen active duty Berserk ninja. There was no way to speed the process of birth, so they were now looking for strong shinobi to join their clan.

Sasuke thought they might welcome him into their ridiculously large compound, if he told them he was an Uchiha. But, then again, they'd probably ask to see his Sharingan as proof.

"Dammit," Sasuke muttered, glaring down at the clan he desired to join. Then, something caught his eye.

A glint of metal?

Sasuke immediately leapt down from his perch, and sped towards the Berserk compound. He leapt nimbly on the rooftops, and was there in only a few minutes.

To find something that shocked him thoroughly.

Sasuke walked to the gate, which towered ten feet over him. He slid a finger down one of the bars, and a crimson liquid smudged on his finger. "B-blood?" He asked himself, staring in horror at his finger. It was like entering his own clan's land on that horrible night.

He glanced down, and saw what he had noticed. An empty paint can, with congealed red paint on the inside.

Sasuke frowned and wiped his hand on his shorts, not caring if it stained. He jumped backwards, and got the full view of the entrance to the Berserk compound, and the walls that secured that land. He had to smile, thinking back on the time he first met Inari and his gang.

"'ANBU ops rulz', huh?" He laughed to himself. He had to give those children credit, they definitely _were_ sneaky. He leapt backwards, onto another power pole, and scanned the roofs of the compound, and saw more graffiti in all spectrums of color. "Seems they take their positions quite seriously. I wonder how the Berserk clan didn't notice..."

Then, an alarm sounded, and shinobi with devilishly crimson hair were heading right at him.

* * *

Inari and his comrades stood on the highest building in the Outer Core, the tall tower of the Medical Corps, which had gone under construction as soon as the Outer Core was established, and was finally complete. It gave a great overview of the middle layer of Kaimu as it was right smack in the middle.

Now, Inari and his buddies casually watched as the Berserk clan went up in anger and humiliation. Watching the small clan freak out made them all erupt in laughter, and they began their descent of the building, to discreetly follow and get a better view.

Then Inari saw them find a target, the Uchiha boy he had once been served ramen by. He laughed to himself, and thought; '_Is that guy the biggest sucker in the village, or what?'_

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes with a start, and sat up in her bed.

"What's that noise?" She asked, throwing her blanket to the side. She slid her legs off of her bed and walked to the window. The sky was dark, and the artificial light from the lamp poles only lit half her room. She was on the second story of her house, and could only see the clan wall past a few of the other houses. The low whine continued, and there were a few shouts off in the distance.

"Hm, I should go check it out." she said to herself, running to her closet to get into decent clothes. Going out into the night in only a pink gown was definitely not appropriate.

* * *

Sasuke jumped high into the air, avoiding a deadly fuuma shuriken that annihilated the small storage shack he had just been standing on. He then twisted in midair, narrowly dodging the regular shuriken that had been thrown at him. An instant later, he was back on solid material, and dashing into the shadows.

A series of metallic _clanks_ sounded behind him as all shapes and sizes of lethal steel pursued him.

He leaped up onto a wall of a clan compound and quickly dropped behind it, just as an onslaught of kunai rushed overhead.

Not stopping to take a rest, he quickly got moving again, running along the wall at top speed. The wall overshadowed him, making him harder to see. A pair of glowing red eyes appeared, towering above him. The body attached to those eyes acted too quickly for him to escape, and he was snatched up into the man's arms.

"The hell were you doing around our land, kid?" the man snarled, putting his sharp nose into Sasuke's face. His hair was long, and just like everyone else from his clan, was as red as blood. A scar ran along the man's cheek, and he seemed to have no eyebrows. A blank hitai-ate glinted on his forehead, and it seemed to hold the hair out of his face.

"I was just wondering what all that graffiti was." Sasuke said, trying to pry the man's hands open, which were gripping his shirt.

The Berserk nin's only response was to form a red sphere in his hand, which he threw ten feet into the air. The sphere exploded, and they were soon surrounded by ten more men.

The clan looked at Sasuke with hard eyes, but with a small touch of amusement. "Is this the guy?" One man asked, earning a few approving nods.

"It's the boy we chased, but I'm not so sure it's the culprit. He's not stealthy enough to have pulled that prank." The man with the scar on his cheek said, with a grin. This comment infuriated Sasuke. He was being outdone by children at least three years younger than himself!

"I'm no weakling! I could have done it if I had wanted to!" Sasuke blurted, wrenching his shirt free of the man's grip, and fell to his own feet. He stood there defiantly, chest out, glaring at the men surrounding him. The men all laughed heartily.

"Kid, you look scrawny as hell. And you were caught in less than five minutes, no way you could have pulled such a prank off," one man commented, giving Sasuke a wry smile.

"Yeah. Go on home to your mommy, kid. I'm sure she's real worried about you, being out so late at night," another man said, earning a few more chuckles from the group. Then, Sasuke lost it.

While the man threw his head back to laugh with all his might, Sasuke launched himself full force, bringing his knee straight under the man's jaw into his throat. He kicked off the man's chest with his other leg, and back-flipped onto the wall. He glared down at the men, and took a kunai from his pouch. "Don't ever talk about my family. I hail from the mighty Uchiha clan, and you will respect my name and the memories of my lost clan, even if I have to pound that respect into your heads," Sasuke growled down at the men. None of them had moved to help their comrade, but all had kept cautious eyes on Sasuke. The wounded man made a gargling sound as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Jeez, kid, don't get your panties in a bunch. We're just messin' with ya, all right?" The man with the scar said, giving Sasuke a warm smile. "We can respect a great clan, even if they are long gone now. We know battle better than most, and we understand what you're going through."

Then, the man scratched his chin, and added, "Say, we've been looking for additions in our clan. I think if you come back to our compound with us, we can convince you to join. We have some information you might be interested in, pertaining to our clan and your own." This spiked Sasuke's curiosity, and made him put his weapon away.

"Information, huh?" Sasuke said, looking over the ninja, wondering if this was some kind of trick. He didn't think he'd be joining their clan in this manner.

"Sasuke-kun?" A soft voice echoed throughout the area, and Sasuke looked to his right, to see Sakura running on the wall in his direction. "What's going on?"

"Just some late night training, that's all. You should go home, we're about to leave anyway." Sasuke said, turning away from her, looking back at the men.

"Is it true? You're going to join their clan, when you hardly even know them? Both Kiba and I graciously opened up our homes to you!" Sakura said, looking hurt.

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and looked back at her, and saw her pained expression. "This clan can help me improve. Kiba and his dog techniques can't help me. Your clan is good with chakra control, yeah, but aren't exactly the most powerful ninja in the village."

"So, all you care about is power, and surpassing everyone you can. Is that what you're trying to tell me?" Sakura said, crossing her arms across her chest. Sasuke frowned.

"Hey, if you're interested, we'll be back at our clan's dojo waiting." With that, the man with the scar hopped the wall, and sped off to their compound, which was close by to the Haruno clan.

"Sakura, you don't understand. This has nothing to do with you, so why are you giving me a hard time?" Sasuke glared. He had thought he was getting closer to her, starting to make her understand what he wanted. But now, here she was, getting all hurt over nothing.

"We would have treated you as if you were one of us, and so would have the Inuzukas! But, all of a sudden, you decide we aren't strong enough for you? That we aren't worthy of housing the all mighty Uchiha?" Sakura yelled, her eyes tearing up.

"That's not what I mean at all, and you know it! The Berserk clan can help me achieve my goals much faster than yours because they are the kind of people the Uchiha are. They live for battles, they live for power! It's not that I am power hungry, I'm just too weak! Can you not see that?" Sasuke asked, giving her a pleading look. He wanted her to understand why he was making these choices.

"You're the strongest of our group, how are you not strong enough? You know more jutsu than Kiba and I put together. You are stronger than both of us, and almost as fast as Kiba is when he uses beast mimicry. Why is that not enough for you?" Sakura said, her arms now at her sides, fists clenched.

"There was a prank pulled tonight by the ANBU ops of Kaimu. Yeah, you didn't know about the ANBU because that's how they work. In secret. In stealth. Wanna know something else? They got past all Berserk security measures, and successfully vandalized every building with graffiti. To top all of that off, they're all children at the ages of eight through ten! If they are that good, why am I not better? Naruto is the same age as you and I, and he is faster and stronger than I am, and probably knows powerful jutsu as well! I need to get stronger, to pro-" Sasuke turned away from her, and glared at his feet. He almost said something he would possible regret.

"S-Sasuke-kun... what were you about to say?" Sakura stepped closer, all her hurt and anger gone. Sasuke's body only tensed, and he didn't answer.

Sakura closed the gap between them, slid a hand into his, and turned him around. "Sasuke, what were you going to say?" She looked into his black orbs, which seemed glazed over, unseeing. He soon looked back into her green eyes, and his features softened.

"I am not strong enough to protect the village, or those people I care about most." Sasuke looked away, but Sakura put her hand on his cheek, and turned his head back in her direction.

"Who are the people closest to you?" Sakura whispered, her heart beating faster and harder than she had ever thought possible. As she stared into his eyes, which were once again flicking back and forth between shades of red and black.

"I can't say it. If I say it, I can never take it back. And when those people are gone, the hurt will be too much to bear," Sasuke said faintly, his eyes glazing over once more, and he stared into space.

"Well, I'll show you who I feel I'm closest to," Sakura muttered as she leaned up and forward, her lips inching closer to his, until they met in a warm embrace. Sasuke, captured by the moment, closed his eyes.

During this whole ordeal, neither of them realized that they were surrounded by the ANBU ops squads, and all fifty or so members began laughing. The two immediately flinched apart, blushing wildly. Sakura shyly looked back over at Sasuke, then gasped.

"Sasuke-kun, your eyes...!"

* * *

After a few more hours of running, Naruto and Hinata finally made it back to the village, and were resting in the top office in the Utsurokage Tower.

Naruto yawned from his seat in his chair, his legs propped up on his desk. He was sleepy now, but he had to stay awake until Jiraiya got back with Tsunade.

Hinata was sitting on the desk, back to him, and an awkward silence had filled the air. Neither of them knew what to say about what had happened back in the Samurai Forest.

"I wonder when Jiraiya-sensei will get back..." Naruto said, staring at the ceiling with half lidded eyes.

"Naruto, I'm not sure if you want him to get back too soon." Hinata said, not turning around.

Naruto directed his gaze at the back of her head, "Why not?"

"Well... Tsunade-sama was, ehm, different when I found her. And not in a particularly good way. I'm not sure how sensei will react to it, but I'm leaning toward his reaction being one of anger," Hinata said ominously, not saying what was really on her mind.

"Well, what was wrong? Please don't tell me those bastard samurai did anything to her!" Naruto said, fully awake and now on his feet. Hinata turned her head to the side, and stared at him with just one, pupil-less eye.

"She seemed to have aged backwards in the cube, and looked about as old as ourselves," Hinata said, then hopped off of the desk. She walked around, and came to stand before him. She didn't want to talk about Tsunade right now.

Naruto just looked a bit nervous, and shifted his weight. "Look, Hinata..." He was interrupted by a finger placed on his lips.

"Naruto-kun, I want to know where our relationship stands. And I want to tell you that since we've come to be together, I've never been as happy in my life. I want to be with you, Naruto-kun, but I need to know how you feel about me." She stared up into her eyes, making Naruto feel as if she could see directly into his soul.

Then, Naruto grinned. "Don't sweat it, Hinata. I feel the same way, I just don't think we should be too serious right now. We're young, and we're Kages. Having a relationship right now would just be a distraction."

Hinata felt a deep disappointment, but agreed with his reasoning.

Then, Jiraiya burst through the open trapdoor, making both of his students look his way. He was carrying a comparably small girl in his arms, whose head lolled back and forth as he walked over to the Kage desk, and set her in a comfortable chair.

"Naruto, we have to talk." Jiraiya gave the boy a hard look. "I'll be on the roof." And he walked away, climbed up a ladder on the wall, and went out another trapdoor.

"Erm, you should check on Tsunade," Naruto said, before jogging away from Hinata, and climbing onto the roof himself.

* * *

Jiraiya leaned up against the battlements on top of the tower. His body laid up against the high parapet at an angle, his elbows casually resting at each of his sides on the cold stone.

It was a clear night, and as he glanced back over his shoulder, he could see the Core glow with electricity, and small sparks of chakra that powered it. The combination of three chakras, merged into being one deep, lavender-crimson color, seemed to expand and grow inside the storage coils, buildings and walls of the village. Naruto had recently funded a project for tall towers that would round off at the end into a bulb. Placed strategically throughout the village, it would store all the extra chakra, and compress it into raw power.

Jiraiya was amazed by all the customization Naruto was doing to the village that others were not, and had wondered on countless nights where the boy got his ideas from. and Hinata's extensive knowledge of the chakra network only helped in the structures. All these factors allowed for modifications that would increase the effectiveness of the village's own chakra system as a whole. Once all the towers were in place, and the more they were charged, their power would begin to benefit the village.

Seals would be placed in the Utsurokage Tower and on places on the village wall that only the more important people would know, that would activate the towers, which would outlet a flow of compressed chakra into a stream, connecting it all above the village into a hardened chakra dome. This would protect the village from any extra attacks and infiltration if a war were to break out. But it would only last as long as the towers had constant chakra supply, and the more full the bulbs were, the better the dome and thus the longer it would last.

Despite all of this, he still wondered about the boy's intelligence. He had used an untested jutsu on someone who was to be a comrade. Granted, it was only supposed to capture her, and he was supposed to be able to release the chakra holding her, it was still untested and dangerous. This only angered Jiraiya, and it also made him blame himself for what happened.

After all, he could have told Naruto not to use it on the mission, but he didn't say a word.

"Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto's voice said timidly, and Jiraiya looked over to see the boy approaching from the open trapdoor. He had already changed from his ninja gear to his more comfortable formal dress. He had on long Kage robes which were a soft blue color. The hat was missing, and below the long sleeves Jiraiya noted the glint of the gauntlets, and below the robes, his armored boots.

Jiraiya rubbed at his temples, trying to reduce the anger he held for the boy. Every student makes a mistake, and it is up to the teacher to correct the pupil. Even more so, he is supposed to prevent the student's mistakes to the best of his ability. Had Jiraiya done that?

"Naruto, you used an untested jutsu on Tsunade. Not a deadly enemy, just a defiant woman. I recognize this as mostly my fault, but I need to know... can it be reversed? And how did this happen?" Jiraiya looked the boy in the face, and saw relief. He had not reprimanded or scolded the boy, and Naruto seemed to appreciate that.

"Sensei, please do not take the blame for my mistake. I'm sorry, and I will try to accurately state what may have happened. Keep in mind this is only my theory, and stop me for any questions." Naruto took a breath, and continued, "The jutsu I used brought a 'negative' or 'anti-' universe into our own, and I put Tsunade inside of it. By doing so, I made her a part of that universe, and it seems I wasn't prepared to think of the outcome. Because the universe is different from our own, it may not have the same rules, and have bizarre and random fluctuations, or different physical laws." Naruto eyed Jiraiya for a moment, letting the information sink in.

"So, the antiverse just so happened to change her body, and possible her mind, making it younger, and less developed. The changes may have just affected her body, because, really, it would probably be impossible to change a person's mind in the same way. She has probably retained all experience and memories, just everything else has changed. She will probably have the same amount of chakra control, and knowledge of any jutsu, so don't worry. She'll still be a dangerous ninja, and will most likely remember everything. Now, about reversing the effects..." Naruto creased his brow in concentration, and looked down.

"I'm not too sure, but I doubt it can ever be undone. She'll have to train her body, and grow up all over again." Naruto looked up again, and saw the sadness in Jiraiya's eyes, and understood. "I'm sorry, sensei." Jiraiya nodded, and waved the apology away.

The older man chuckled a bit, then said, "She hated being old anyway. Hell, she may even wake up and be all over you with kisses and hugs." Jiraiya laughed as Naruto's ears went pink, "Anyway, I'll get over it. I'll even help her train her chakra reserves, try and get them back to the formidable amount they once were."

Naruto nodded, then spoke, "Sensei, on a related matter, I have discovered the source of the power the samurai you saw exhibit. It's a sort of 'positive' chakra. In a nutshell, it's completely opposite of what Hinata and I possess." Naruto walked away to Jiraiya's left, and looked out over the Core. "They can travel into other, unformed universes, and there, they can be a god. But, their powers can only bring bits of that universe here, and I don't think it can help Tsunade's case, unless one of the samurai who possess this special chakra develops it into some advanced form. But, that could mean big trouble for us."

He turned around and looked at Jiraiya, "If they pull their whole bodies into those other universes, they can come out anywhere in our universe. That would make it good for infiltration, but I'm not sure how far they can go at one time. I don't know much, so this is all speculation. Don't take my word for it; these assumptions are just untested theories." Jiraiya nodded, and glanced up at the sky, at the stars and darkness of space. He had never thought about other universes or dimensions until he met Naruto. Now, the prospect of being so out of control, and so helpless, left him feeling a bit like... nothing. He wondered to what extent it would take to multiply that feeling, and come through to the other side, where an untapped well of power existed.

Several loud bangs came from below them, and the stone floor cracked in many places. Jiraiya grinned, "Sounds like our favorite prisoner has awakened."


	16. Berserk's Past

Renzaki Zen stood in the middle of a darkly lit room, voices whispering from all around him. The room had a chill, which xcontrasted greatly with the heat outside. In the small pools of light that illuminated the room, he could see deeply shadowed half-faces. He was surrounded by a high row of podiums, aligned in a 360 degree circle, which he stood in the center of.

One deep voice spoke, and it echoed throughout the room, "Renzaki Zen, what have you done to your generation of samurai? You've dishonored us all with these deceptions!"

Zen just looked down at his feet, trying to relay regret and sorrow. He knew that they didn't want a verbal answer.

"This power you and your friends seem to think that you have obtained is blasphemy! How dare you try and corrupt the way of the samurai?" Another voice spoke, sounding angry. Zen thought that the trial would go a bit smoother if there wasn't so much testosterone on the council; but samurai ways were always upheld, and women were not given political power.

"What seperates you from a ninja?" A younger voice asked, sounding curious; the newest council member. Someone who also just happened to possess the new chakra as well, and was a secret "friend" of Zen's. Zen had to fight the grin on his face, and looked up at the old elders before him, and tried to express a look of great determination.

"I fight honorably, and allow for my opponent to do the same. I do not wish to disgrace them or myself; I am a clean fighter, and if shamed, would gladly end my life." Zen said, pulling his wakizashi from out of his stained and ripped kimono. He brandished the polished blade for all to see, and small sparkles of light glinted off the edge. "Give the word, and I will cease to exist."

A stale silence crept into the air, and none of the council members seemed to be too eager to give the "word." After all, Zen was one of the best samurai they had, and was obediant and devoted. At least, that's what they thought. They had no idea of what he was actually trying to do, and he had no intentions of ending his lfie until before his task was complete.

"Very well." a shaky, old voice spoke," You are forgiven for your mistakes. Please do not stir up this nonsense any longer, we have too much trouble on our hands with outside matters." The council members nodded, and Zen walked past the podiums, to the other side of the room and opened a door, letting in a bright light as he did so.. He turned his head slightly, letting his eye look back and see the face of his own sister. The long, black robes with gold trimming of the Council members hid her features well. As did the large traveller hats that hid most of their face. He gave her a wink just before leaving the room. The Council members had no idea they were being invaded from the inside.

* * *

Tsunade slammed her fist down into the hard stone floor, her perfect chakra control funneled exact measurements of chakra into her blows. The stone was incinerated, leaving a rather large crater in the floor. She glanced up and glared at the Hyuga girl who had just dodged her punch. "Who the hell are you? Where am I?"

Tsunade glanced around, and wondered why she was wearing such a loose, white kimono. The young Sannin stood up straight, and rolled up her long sleeves. This was going to get physical, fast. The Hyuga didn't seem too eager to speak.

"Tsunade, stop!" A familiar voice sounded from behind her, making Tsunade glance back. "Jiraiya? Wait, I'm starting to remember..."

And then it hit her, everything that had happened since she entered that tea shop. How long ago had that been? She turned bodily towards her former teammate, and saw a certain blond haired, blue-eyed boy climb down from a trapdoor in the roof. Suddenly, her anger overflowed, and she pointed an accusing finger at Naruto. "You son of a bitch, what have you done to me?" And then she glanced around, "And where is Shizune?!"

Everyone in the room who was not Tsunade suddenly got wide-eyed. Naruto went pale, and Jiraiya slapped his forehead. "I can't beleive we forgot her! She's still probably back in Tea Country..."

With that, Tsunade flung herself at the boy in a fit of rage. She was gonna beat him senseless, before she was caught in mid-air by a seemingly larger Jiraiya. That's when she noticed how much bigger everything seemed.

"Tsunade, please calm down. He had no idea what he was doing. As his sensei, you should blame me." Jiraiya said, holding her firmly in place as she struggled to get free.

"Why is everyone so much bigger now?" She screamed fitfully, trying to pry Jiraiya's arms off from around her waist. While she was being held parallel to the ground, she noticed her hair didn't hang as low as it usually did. " And why is my hair shorter?"

"Tsunade-san, I don't know how to tell you this, but..." Naruto gulped and took a step closer to the woman-turned-girl, "The jutsu I used to capture you placed you into an alternate universe, with different properties and laws, therefore altering your own anatomy and structure. This transformation reversed your own aging, and in a nutshell, made you many years younger. I'm sorry to tell you this, but you are, by physical standards, twelve years old again."

Tsunade stopped struggling, and her body went limp for a moment. She attempted to process what was just explained to her, and her face scrunched up in concentration. A jutsu that reversed her aging? She'd been trying to find somethingl like that for years! Though she was aiming something in a more controlled form. So what was this going to mean? She would have to grow up all over again, and train to have her body back in it's former shape.

Jiraiya cautiously let her down, and looked at her worringly. "Tsunade, I didn't mean for this to happen. I'll find Shizune, and I promise to help you deal with this in any way I can." Tsunade, who's back was to the older man, turned her head to the side and saw that her mouth was upturned in a grin.

Before anyone could react, Tsunade was on top of Naruto. But instead of beating him to a bloody pulp, she was showering him in hugs and kisses. "Thank you, Naruto-kun!"

It was all Naruto could do to lie there and blush.

* * *

Sasuke stared at Sakura with a new, more clarified vision. He could see the movement of her chakra, when he looked really closely. It flowed easily throughout her whole body like a liquid blue fire.

"Sasuke-kun... your eyes... you've activated the Sharingan!" Sakura yelped excitedly, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet. Sasuke glanced around, and could see better in the night than ever before. He could now see every member of the ANBU ops, and some of them were still laughing.

"A moment that is important to me, huh..." Sasuke glanced down at Sakura, not wanting to express his true feelings for her, or even for Kiba and Akamaru. They were all important to him. Precious people he had gained since the loss of his family. Sakura looked at him with confusion.

"Ah, Sasuke. It's about time you activated the Sharingan. I told you the moment would be important to you." A voice spoke up from behind Sasuke, and the Uchiha boy immediately spun around. There Kakashi stood, lazily holding an orange book in his right hand, and his one eye looking down at the adult novel.

"K-Kakashi -sensei!" Sakura managed, blushing wildly. Just how many people had seen them kiss? At that moment, a loud bark came from behind Sakura, and she whipped around to see a grinning Kiba.

"Good going, Sasuke! Never thought you'd have it in you!" A laughing Kiba said, and Akamaru yipped in agreement. If possible, Sakura's blush got deeper, and she had a sudden urge to clock her smelly teammate in the head.

"Kakashi-sensei, what is going on?" Sasuke demanded, glaring at his teacher. Sakura turned back around and crossed her arms, wanting to know the same thing. A few of the ANBU members chuckled again.

Kakashi took on a look of mock surprise, "But Sasuke, don't you know? I set the whole thing up! Granted, I thought you'd gain the Sharingan in a rather different way, but you still got it. I informed the ANBU of the Berserk clan's plans to take over their position, and they retaliated. And by frustrating you earlier today, I knew you'd go out, unable to sleep. Your curiosity shouldn't be so controlling, Sasuke." Kakashi mock scolded, flipping a page in his book. "I thought a little conflict between you and the Berserk clan would help you out with your Sharingan. I didn't take into account that the Harunos were so close by, and that you may try to hide their. But, overall, things turned out well." He lifted his lazy eye from his book, and it's gaze rested on Sakura for a moment before returning.

"So you set this whole thing up?" Sasuke said, a bit of surprise diluting his anger. He grimaced, and hopped down from the Haruno wall. Kakashi didn't look away from his book.

"Where are you going, Sasuke?" Kakashi said, flipping another page, and half turning his body in Sasuke's direction.

"To seal my status into the Berserk clan." Sasuke said through grit teeth, feeling humiliated at being played so well.

* * *

Zen stood in front of the group of twenty Samurai who had, until just recently, been considered dead. Other than these twenty one samurai, the small dojo they were in was empty.

Zen was washed up and clean, and had put on a new kimono. On the kimono, a red insignia was emblazoned over where his heart was. The design outlined a spiraling white object, that ended in a sharp tip. All the samurai before him bore the same symbol on their armor. Also, Zen had recovered his Katana, and it was put in it's rightful place on his left.

"How were your travels, Kinzou?" Zen said, as he put his long silver hair into a ponytail. He glanced around at the armored samurai, who all had their heads bowed in respect. At the front of the group was the leader, and he stepped forward and bowed.

"Renzaki-sama, we put the ninja world into turmoil, just as it should be." Kinzou stood straight, then his visage suddenly portrayed a light-hearted attitude, his frown turning into a grin. He and his group had singlehandedly set flames between the villages of Suna and Iwa, and soon those flames would turn into explosive outburts that will lead to war.

Zen nodded thoughtfully, and let his gaze wonder over the bowing band of samurai. "You can all rise, there is no need to be so formal." With a few sighs of relief, the armored samurai rose, and they all gave Zen a smirk.

One armored samurai rushed forward and embraced Zen, patting his back roughly. The man had a long, black mane of unruly hair and scars running down the left side of his face, rendering his left eye useless. "Brother, I was worried you'd get into trouble." The slightly older man said, ruffling Zen's hair. Zen only backed away and grinned.

"C'mon, Ren. Not in front of the others." Zen said, slighlty embarassed. A few of the other men laughed, and Ren scratched the back of his head.

A few hours later, the men dispersed and Zen and his older brother by two years were walking home to their apartment. Through the years the village had become tremendously large, and over the time that they've been hiding, all the samurai in the world managed to arrive. With the growing population, and the mandatory law of five children per couple that only expired twenty years ago, the samurai were forced to build extremely large buildings for housing. Now, with the industrilized village becoming more like a thriving city everyday, houses were rare and were reserved for the rich and powerful.

"Ren... You guys can't just go out on your own. This rebellion has to be planned precisely, so please don't ruin it. If we get caught, we'll be exiled or executed... with the only honorable thing to do being to end our lives." Zen whispered to his brother, making sure he was close enough to where only Ren heard him.

"But it helped, right? The ninjas are all afraid of another Great Ninja War, and why shouldn't they be? The last two wars were terrible. But anything that will help us get what we want, I will risk my life to achieve it. But this rebellion, only those with the Positive Chakra are in on it, and compared to the thousands of samurai that reside and train in this village, that's a pitifully small number. There's, what, 70 of us or so?" Ren whispered back, locking his hands behind his head in a relaxing gesture as he walked.

Zen looked out ahead of them as they passed the tall buildings, which were camouflaged on the roof. The whole village was like one huge mess of trees when looked at from an aerial view. They were nearing their apartment building. They were finally in the housing district in the west part of the village, farthest from the entrance and closest to the back wall. It was still early morning, so not much was happening on the streets. "For espionage, a smaller group is best. What we are doing is to better the village, and don't forget that when the time comes. The council hasn't even noticed Rin's presence among them. Slowly but surely, we will one by one remove and replace the council members with our own, and control the village. When our presence is revealed to the world, the ninja will be too busy fighting amongst themselves to even think about some samurai village."

Ren nodded thoughtfully as they rounded a corner and shortly came to the front entrance of their apartment building. The sleek, smooth surface absorbed light without reflecting it, making it harder to spot in the day from a sky view, and even harder at night. It was ironic that a ninja village is supposed to be the best at stealth and hiding, but the village of Gisougakure hid the best. After all, why shouldn't the village hidden in camouflage be the hardest to spot?

Zen swiftly punched some numbers into a keypad at the door, which unlocked, and they strolled in.

* * *

Sasuke sat in the Berserk library with ten other members of the clan. They were teaching him the history of the clan, and it definately pertained to him.

The man with the scar on his cheek was named Gin, and he was the leader of the clan. He stood by a board that images were projected on, and the lights were dimmed. They were in a sort of pit, which was a half circle. On the round part of the pit, tables and chairs were bolted into the floor, and that's where Sasuke and the other nine ninja sat. In front of the straight wall of the pit stood Gin and the board, which currently had an image of a regular, fully formed Sharingan.

"This three tomo Sharingan was the single greatest doujutsu in the early times of ninja, before the hidden villages were established. The Uchiha clan was one of the largest military factions in those times, with untold skills and numbers. As members married outside of the clan, the Sharingan became more diluted, and soon mutated until all that was left was the ability to see the flow of chakra and enchanced vision. This ability became apparant in all of the babies born from the descendants of the Uchiha clan who married into other clans. Though many of the children did not recognize it as abnormal, they grew up different from their mother or father that had the Sharingan. They didn't know that not everyone could see this flow of chakra, and were particularly gifted with Genjutsu." Gin let this information sink in, and Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked around.

"You're descendants of my clan?" The Berserk nins grinned, and gave him an approving nod. "But how? Back in those times the Sharingan was a coveted ability, and a highly guarded kekkai genkai!"

Gin grinned, his dark red eyes seeming to grow brighter for a brief moment. "Those that were thought dead were left in the battlefield, and were tended to by civilians or wandering clans. Love bites you in the most unusual ways." Gin stretched his arms, which widened his unzipped black flak jacket. Sasuke got a glimpse of scrolls lining the inside pockets of the said jacket. Gin's matching pants and sandals blended in well with the shadows.

"Anyway," Gin continued with a yawn, pressing a button on the remote that was just now apparant that he held," This image shows our eyes, which are the same color and texture, but lack the tomo, which are the real power to the Sharingan. It is unkown whether we are unable to unlock our tomo, but it hasn't happened in our clan yet. Though the Uchiha blood in our veins is diluted, it's most apparant trait is the bloodlust and love for fighting. It's drive is more powerful and primal than that of sex. Which is why our clan is dying out. A more diluted version of the Sharingan is apparant in the Yuhi clan of Konoha. As a younger shinobi, I met a girl no higher ranking than genin in the battlefield in the last War. Her name was Yuhi Kurenai, and I slaughtered her teammates. In her sorrow and misery, something amazing happened. I had noticed her red eyes early on, but thought nothing of it because of her dark hair."

Gin cracked his neck, and stared straight into Sasuke's eyes, "I saw her chakra flow become erratic, and I knew she was blacking out. During the time she wasn't fully aware of her actions, I saw two tomo form in each of her eyes. I was ranked Chuunin at the time, and was still a ninja of Kumogakure, and we were at war with Konoha. She whipped my ass while in that state of blind fury, and I was lucky enough to escape with my life. Her Genjutsu was incredible, and she gave me this scar." Gin pinted to his right cheek with his thumb.

"Put me under the impression that I was wrapped up in a tree, and struck me with a kunai. She aimed for my head, but I had quickly jerked my head and the blade went straight through my cheek. Luckily, my jaw snapped open before the blade collided into my teeth, and I clamped down on it." Gin's eyes dazed over in remembrance, before he shook his head and looked back at Sasuke. "The point is, somehow her blood acted as a last defense, and gave her the powers of a newly formed Sharingan. From intel I have gathered since then, I found that there is no trace of her ever gaining that doujutsu, and she has not exhibited that power since." He sighed, clicking a button again.

It showed a woman with long black hair, and bright red eyes. Her faint lipstick and soft features made her very attractive. A leaf hitai-ate donned her forehead, and held the hair out of her face. She wore a smile, and it looked good on her.

"This is that woman, albeit a little older. Yuhi Kurenai has now become a Jounin and is mostly known for her Genjutsu abilities. I believe her Uchiha blood is more diluted than our own, yet she was able to unlock the powers of the Sharingan. This gives us hope that we can one day open our own eyes, and see through that doujutsu." Gin rummaged a hand inside of his jacket, and retrieved a scroll. "We've gathered as much information on this bloodline limit as we could, but it is not enough. We are still missing a few secrets, but are very close to having all the secrets figured out. With current technology, and possibly help from the Utsurokage, we can induct members into our clan, and place our genes into their system. While in a chakra chamber, where the genetics will be implanted, we can rebuild our clan, and yours, Sasuke."

This was all too much for Sasuke to handle. They wanted to reproduce the Sharingan with medical jutsus and genetic technology? Was this the price of recovering the Uchiha blood? Sasuke didn't care; he wanted a clan, and was tired of being alone. As soon as he was accepted as a Berserk member, he would support Gin in any way he could.

"You've been gathering all this information, but is it possible to really map out the genetic properties of the Sharingan, and implant it into another person?" Sasuke asked, looking at Gin evenly. Gin gave a smile and a nod, glad Sasuke was not offended by his ideas.

"We will not accept just anyone into our clan, Sasuke. There are many out there with the mutated and diluted blood of the Uchiha. The more of it they have, the easier the process will be. But, if those that wish to join our clan are without any trace of the Uchiha, they will have to be exceptional ninja to adapt to the new DNA that they will be infused with. We will not be mass producing the Sharingan, we will be making blood pacts and family. This isn't about power, it is about birth and survival. Our clan has been doomed from our intense need to fight. Most of our children are male, with only a one in four chance of having a female child. Another property of our weird genetic cocktail that courses through our veins. We do not wish to die out, and we do not wish for our ancestors to die out, either. But, the Uchiha name cannot live on. The world would not accept a second coming of such a great clan. We will choose powerful ninjas who would be loyal to the clan, to ensure they are not in it for the power of the doujutsu."

Sasuke understood. They seemed to fear another Itachi, and were all about clan survival.

Gin clicked another button, and it showed a mug shot of Kakashi. He looked tired and battle weary, and his headband was nowhere to be seen. His face seemed ragged, but his eyes shown a strict determination. And in his left eye was the Sharingan. "Hatake Kakashi is willing to help us in our goals, and he too wants to join the clan. Together, we will make the village stronger, and on our way, make our clan larger. No more will we fear that we're doomed to die out!" Cheers were heard throughout the library.

* * *

Naruto stood in front of a giggling Tsunade, and his blush was apparant. He embarassedly rubbed the back of his head and closed his eyes, cocking his head up a bit. "Wow, Tsunade. I didn't think you'd take this so well." It was hard to imagine the blonde girl who was standibng in front of him with a soft blush of her own face was once the mighty Sannin Tsunade.

"Um, Tsunade-sama, let's get you into some better fitting clothes." Hinata said quickly, feeling a bit jealous of the girl who had just jumped on the boy she liked. "I'll take you out shopping, the shops should be opening soon." Though Hinata was tired, she didn't think she could sleep anyway. So why not try and make a new friend? Tsunade promptly agreed, and they left soon after, leaving Jiraiya nad Naruto alone in the Utsurokage office.

"That went well," Jiraiya grumbled. She had never treated _him_ so well when they were young. Naruto only bit back a snort of laughter, and soon moved over to his trimmed oak desk, and sat in his Kage chair. With a grin, he slammed down a crystal object that was attached to a strong black fabric.

"Ha! Got it!" Naruto said, as he stared at the necklace he had confiscated while Tsunade had showered him in gratitude. Jiraiya's eyebrows went up in surprise; he had honestly forgot about the necklace. The old sage stepped over to the desk and gazed down on the necklace before picking it up, rolling it around in the palm of his hand. He let a small burst of chakra emit from his fingertip, and travel into the crystal. It promplty became red, and a 2D image flickered on the small surface, and it _did_ look an awful lot like the Sharingan.

"It's a seal," Jiraiya said, setting the necklace down. "Obviously, it's not any regular seal. Probably instead of holding an object, it holds some kind of power, possible genetic secrets of the Sharingan. How got in there, I have no clue." Jiraiya looked up at the blonde, who seemed to have a thoughtful look on his face. "Any idea? You seem to have a theory for everything. Which reminds me, what are your thoughts on the question: which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Naruto ignored jiraiya's mocking, and nodded. "Yes, I do have a theory. In a dream I had, the Shodai gained the powers of a special Sharingan. If he had those full abilities, maybe he found away to project that power into the Crystal, and then put some kind of protective jutsu on it... He probably studied the Sharingan it extensively, and put all his knowledge in here." Naruto picked up the crystal and twirled it in the air as he dangled it from the string. "From what I heard, no one that was not worthy of being a Kage could wear it. Probably the protective jutsu he placed on it.... Hm. I wonder how you let the secrets out." Jiraiya swiped the necklace from Naruto and made a handseal.

"**Release**." Jiraiya looked down on the necklace, and nothing happened. He tossed it back to Naruto and began to walk to the trapdoor in the floor. "There's my try. Now, it's all yours, Naruto."

"H-hey! Where are you going, you can help me out!" Naruto said, immediately rising from his seat.

"Research."

* * *

The Inuzukas started the day off early with vigorous training, and Kiba was on a strict training regime. His family took Kakashi's speech to heart, and had decided to train as hard as they could to get stronger. To better themselves for Kaimu, as well as their old home, Konoha. Their loyalty to Konoha was strong, and that had not changed. But, by being so devoted to Konoha, they were needed in Kaimu.

Thus, they had to be loyal to Kaimu as well. They had no binding roots in Konoha. They weren't a founding family, and didn't have some famous doujutsu. But they were fast and strong, and their loyalty was unmatched. And when Konoha required them to be loyal to a new village, they hopped on it.

Of course, benefits had come with the territory. They were highly respected as a ninja clan from the civilians and ninja alike, as well as the fact that they had way more land for their home than Konoha had alloted them. Though Kaimu was growing fast and was well on its way to becoming an industrilized metropolis like Konoha, clan lands were not invaded.

Though there was no Council, ideas were heard. If there were complaints and troubles, information was gathered and problems were resolved. Administrative buildings in the Core had been set up for this purpose, enabling the people to have a word in how the village was governed.

Kiba yawned as he stretched lazily behind the long, high concrete wall that sat nearly a half mile away from the ocean. It was his favorite place to hang out when he wasn't training, or off in the Core having a good time. It gave a good view of the ocean, and the constant thuds coming from the other side of the wall never bothered him. In fact, if he ever felt like it, he could just hop over the wall and get in some target practice himself. That is, if his enhanced hearing told him it was clear of flying projectiles for the moment.

With a small, content grin, Kiba scratched the head of a tired Akamaru. His buddy growled in minute pleasure, then rolled over. Kiba laughed and scratched the pup's belly, listening to the content breathes of the dog.

"You know, Akamaru, seeing Sakura kiss Sasuke kind of made me jealous." Kiba stated lightly, looking down at his companion. Akamaru suddenly erupted in loud yipping sounds as he rolled onto his side, trembling with joy. "Hey, don't laugh at me! If you spent a lot of time with a female who smelled as nice as her, you'd feel bad that she already had a mate, too!" Kiba yelled defensively.

A small giggle came from above him, making Kiba's eyes widened, and he looked up. He was mortified to see Sakura standing ten feet above him on the wall, crossing her arms over her pink blouse.

"Wow, Kiba, I didn't know you cared so much." Sakura stuck out her tongue in a playful way and gave him a wink. Kiba's eyes bulged, and his face flushed. He quickly stood up, and he noticed Akamaru howling and literally rolling on the ground.

Sakura hopped down, and when she landed a small poof of odorless smoke surrounded her small form. When it cleared, a tall woman stood in her place with brown hair and a red tatooed triangle on each of her cheeks. She wore a high collared white vet coat that trailed down to her ankles, and her hands were buried in it's pockets.

"H-Hana?!" Kiba yelled, his face and ears turning a darker shade of crimson.

"Don't worry, little brother. I'll keep your secret." Inuzuka Hana laughed, enjoying this event thoroughly. She grinned as Kiba quickly escaped from her merciless eyes, which told him he'd never live this down.

As Kiba walked away, Akamaru at his heels, he muttered to himself, "Great, she has dirt on me now." Akamaru howled in amusement.

* * *

Naruto exmined the crystal between his index finger and thumb. He was constantly injecting chakra into the pendant, making the seal visible. He examined it from all sides, but had no clue how to open it's secrets.

"Hm... The Shodai gained an advanced form of Sharingan through a nonexistant world, but it had changed what was inside his mind, and he genetically formed the Sharingan. Seems like an easy way to insert doujutsus. Maybe he designed it so that only the select few with the Sharingan could see the information.... Well, it's worth a try." Naruto pressed a button under his desk.

"Utsurokage-sama?" A young, female voice piped up. It was the Chuunin stationed on the first floor of the tower, basically a secretary. Naruto could hear the tapping of keys on a keyboard as she worked.

"Yes, Mia, I need you to send for Kakashi-san." Naruto glanced up at the wall to his right, and saw that it was just past noon. "He should be at the Academy. Tell him I need him in my office immediately."

And with that, Naruto leaned back in his chair and propped his legs onto his desk. To finalize his relaxation, he folded his hands behind his head.


	17. The Necklace

The infamous Copy Cat Ninja Kakashi arrived ten minutes after Naruto had asked Mia to send for him. He should have been there a lot quicker, considering Mia's desk and computer setup was wired and linked to every government building in the village. The young Kage had heard of Kakashi's chronic tardiness for anything and everything. So, when Kakashi arrived at the front of his desk, posture straight, and at attention, Naruto was surprised.

"You've arrived a little sooner than I had expected, actually." Naruto said with a yawn. Kakashi's face was at attention... at least, from what little Naruto could see, he thought it was.

"Sorry that I am late, Utsurokage-sama. My students... had wanted to see my Sharingan, and begged to see some cool jutsu. I couldn't resist them. Their enthusiasm to learn only fuels my ambition to teach them more." Kakashi's eye gleamed with a brightness Naruto had never seen in the man before. "So we were out in the field, and it took a while for me to get the message."

Naruto nodded. He had not expected such a plausible, and probable, excuse. Getting out of his relaxing position, Naruto stood up. He gave Kakashi a grin, "It's time I put you to good use, Kakashi-san. I need your Sharingan abilities to see something that has been locked away since the founding of the leaf village. I do not know what you will encounter, or what you will see. But I expect you to pay full attention to whatever you observe, so you can relay it back to me accurately."

Naruto then stepped around the desk, and grabbed the crystal. He held it out in the palm of his hand, about a foot away from the Copy-Ninja's face. Pumping a small bit of chakra into the necklace, it began to glow red, and a Sharingan formed seemingly in the center of the crystal. Kakashi gasped.

"That's the Shodaime's necklace! The one that is said to have been cursed..." The Jounin said.

"Yes, yes. Now... I want you to activate your Sharingan and gaze into it..." Naruto was hoping beyond reason that this would work. If it didn't, then no doubt everything he had gone through in the past few weeks has been for nothing.

Kakashi did as he was told. His headband was moved out of the way of his left eye, and the tomoe began swirling as he gazed into the Shodai's necklace. He stared, transfixed, not an inch of his body moving, bar the Sharingan.

The next thing Naruto knew, the great Kakashi was writhing on the floor, a terrible noise emitting from seemingly the pit of his soul.

* * *

_**So... an Uchiha has gotten hold of my necklace, huh?**_

Kakashi looked around. The voice seemed to emanate from everywhere at once, even inside himself. He was no longer in the Kage office, or even in the same realm of existence. "Who are you?" Kakashi asked cautiously, noting that he still had a body. "And _where_ are you?"

_**I'll be asking the questions, Uchiha. But first.... an interrogation of your own body, mind, and soul....**_

Suddenly everything turned red, and Kakashi's vision was filled with the spinning tomoe of a Sharingan. But this Sharingan was different from others he had seen; they were elongated to where they connected to each other, and a small circle could be seen at the head of each tomoe. Outside of the tomoe were three bars of black, which were connected to the tomoe when they weren't spinning. Kakashi couldn't help but fall into those eyes, and could feel his very core be examined. He had the vague sense that it was painful, but that paled in comparison to the feeling of such helplessness.

He was completely vulnerable, and he felt naked and defenseless. Fighting this kind of power was beyond his control, and it seemed like three eternities went by before it finally ended. Kakashi would have fell to the floor and gasped for breath, but though he had a body, there was no surroundings to fall onto.

_**So... You're not an Uchiha after all. And you do not know how the necklace came to be presented to you. Hm... this little Kage kid seems to be quite good at analyzing and theorizing. **_

All Kakashi could do was try to overcome the overwhelming brutality of having himself been examined so thoroughly. This man now knew every bit about him, and it disturbed Kakashi to no end.

_**Haven't you ever wondered why this necklace was cursed? Why everyone who wore it died? Excluding my granddaughter, of course. I was counting on her to find a worthy container. And now, you have come to me. I thought you were an Uchiha, and was about to destroy your soul. But now that I know you, I will try to compensate for what I have done to you.**_

"Wh... What are you going to do to me?" Kakashi managed to gasp out, feeling this being's power. He was afraid of anything else that this man may do to him. The pressure of this man's strength was almost unbearable, and it only increased Kakashi's rising fear.

_**I am going to give you the power that had to be sealed away for the good of the Leaf village. And now that the world has need for me once more, I am going to return. Kakashi-san... you are now my container. **_

And suddenly, all the pressure collapsed in on Kakashi, and every molecule in his body was supercharged.

* * *

Naruto knelt down beside Kakashi as soon as the man had collapsed. And just as he did, Kakashi stopped screaming; his eyes opened wide. His mouth opened beneath the mask, and only a rush of air from a silent scream escaped. Before Naruto could react, a pulse of chakra obliterated the room, and Naruto saw the Core of Kaimu sore underneath him.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shiiiiiit!" Naruto bellowed, rapidly forming seals. He reached the end of the sequence of seals, and held his palm out towards the concrete roof that was rapidly approaching. "**Repel!**" Naruto yelled, invisible chakra forming a semi-transparent sphere in front of his palm, pillowing his landing. Now Naruto stood on top of a building nearly quarter a mile away from the Kage tower He could see it in the distance, the top part of it was in ruins, and was engulfed in smoke. Debris were still raining throughout the area.

Hopping from rooftop to rooftop, Naruto made his way back to the tower. A rather large crowd was standing at the base, looking up. When he came rocketing through the air, running up the side of the tower, everyone cheered in relief that he was alright.

Upon reaching the top of the tower, he could see a another large group gathered around an unconscious Kakashi. Naruto recognized the ANBU ops children, decked out in their black armor. Inari pulled aside his Ferret mask, and stared up at the taller boy. "Utsurokage-sama, we are relieved to see you are well. Was Kakashi-san attempting to harm you in any way, or was it an outside force?"

Naruto gave the young boy a smile. He knew Inari always worked hard and trained vigorously. He studied everything he could that would better himself to better his village. Naruto was proud of the leader of the ANBU, but when he glanced around, he could see several of the Berserk clan members present as well. He could sense the tension in the room. "Rest easy, Inari. Kakashi was performing a task for me, and it didn't go as I had planned."

Naruto walked to the Copy-nin's side, and knelt down beside the man once more. At some point in time, the Shodai's necklace had somehow gotten around Kakashi's neck. Naruto's mouth twisted in confusion, then checked for a pulse. It was strong, but rapid. "I'm going to escort Kakashi-san to the Hospital." Naruto glanced around at the remains of his office and sighed. "Find some Genin to undertake D ranked missions to clean up the core of debris from the Tower, and to help rebuild. I expect the tower to be repaired within two weeks.

"Yes, Utsurokage-sama." Came the reply from everyone in the room. Naruto nodded and laid one hand on Kakashi's chest, making a two fingered seal with the other. Before he faded from the room, he saw Sakura, Sasuke, and Kiba land in the room, gasping for breath.

* * *

Inari glanced at former Team 7, then grinned. "The Utsurokage was just talking about a special mission for some Genin. He wants all the debris picked up from around the Core, and the top of the tower rebuilt within two weeks. You'll have backup in a few minutes." With a few chuckles, the ANBU ops dispersed.

Sasuke glared at Gin, "What happened to Kakashi-sensei?" Gin cocked an eyebrow.

"Is that any way to talk to your clan leader?" Gin mocked a facial expression of horror, then laughed. A few others joined him. "Kid, it's fine. He was doing a task for the Utsurokage, no big deal. It just went a little awry, that's all. Good luck with your new mission." He gave the team a two fingered salute, and the rest of the Berserk nins leaped from the tower.

"Why are we stuck cleaning up Naruto's mess?" Kiba complained, forgetting to give the young Kage his proper respects.

"Beause he's running this village, that's why." Sakura said, looking around at the ruined office, avoiding Sasuke's gaze. They hadn't spoken since the kiss, and she wasn't sure how to approach him. Sasuke was rummaging through the remains of the room, looking at papers and files. He picked up a manilla folder and opened it, and began rummaging through it's contents.

Sakura trotted over to the Sharingan user and looked over his shoulder, "What are you doing, Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke grunted, but didn't reply. Finally, he handed the folder to Sakura, and she opened it.

There was a picture of Kakashi, Herself, Sasuke, and Kiba. Their old team photo. She looked at the next page, and saw a picture of her own face, and some details were written in a caption under it. She didn't care to read further, and tossed the folder aside.

Sasuke got bored with looking through the ruined junk in the room and stood up. "We'll wait for backup before beginning, then we'll decide who does what. Until then, I think we should pay Kakashi-sensei a visit before Naruto disposes of him completely."

Sakura looked surprised, "You think Naruto had this planned out all along? He's not trying to get rid of Kakashi, Sasuke-kun! He would have no need for that!" Sakura stared into the Uchiha's cold eyes, and suddenly felt afraid. What if Sasuke was right?

"Sakura, think about it. When we first saw them after they abandoned Konoha, they had attacked with all their might. We stood no chance, but Kakashi had held strong. He had made their match, and possibly showed he was superior in skill. Do you think a Kage would want to have someone in the village who could usurp his power? The village is new, and not concrete, politically speaking. If the village were to shift their allegiance a little bit to Kakashi, Naruto could lose his position. If I was him, I wouldn't want my lifetime dream taken from me because a stronger ninja just happened to be around." Sasuke crossed his arms, and tapped his foot impatiently.

Sakura shook her head fiercely, determined to resist the urge to just roll over and accept his words. "Sasuke-kun, you're just upset by what has happened to our sensei! Naruto is a good guy, he wouldn't be so petty. Besides, the whole village adores him..." Sakura glanced at Kiba for support, but the dog nin only shrugged his indifference on the matter. This made Sakura angry, and she glared at the boy she adored. She didn't know where she stood on this matter; it was so sudden, so unexpected. Finally with a huff, she shrugged. "Let's just go see how sensei is doing."

The three leaped from the destroyed room and made their way to the Hospital.

* * *

Naruto stood beside Kakashi's bed. He had been restrained with special chakra enhanced straps, due to the spasms that wracked his body every so often. He was sweating profusely, and an aura of semi-visible chakra emanated from his body, as if it were smoke. The top medical examiners had already seen him on Naruto's order, but said they had no idea what was wrong with him. All they could do was give him a few doses of sedative to calm his muscles.

As Naruto stared down at the man, who was still in his ninja garb, his mask still on, he couldn't help but wonder what had gone on inside that crystal. He could only guess, but he was pretty sure whatever he could think of was far off. Another spasm shook Kakashi, and Naruto stepped back, feeling bad for having ordered this man to look into that crystal. All Naruto could do now was hope that whatever was happening to Kakashi, it wasn't life threatening.

Making a quick seal, Naruto formed a clone and ordered it to find Hinata and tell her to report here at once. The young blond sighed, "Damn necklace. Stupid cube... Fucking Samurai! Why the hell are these things happening just when my dreams come true?" Heaving another dreadful sigh, Naruto plopped himself in a plain black chair in the corner of the room. The room was smallish, had one large window, and a lot of beeping medical equipment that were hooked up to monitor Kakashi's vitals.

A few minutes later, Hinata morphed into the room. For a moment she looked puzzled, and she looked from Naruto to Kakashi. "Do I even want to know what you did, Naruto-kun?" Naruto gave her a startled look.

"Hey! It wasn't my fault! Erm... Well, not completely. How was I supposed to know what would happen to Kakashi if he examined the crystal with his Sharingan?" Naruto whined, walking to her side.

"Knowing you, you probably had a pretty good idea of what _might_ happen." Hinata said with a small, knowing smile. Naruto opened his mouth to defend himself, but she just held a hand up to stop him. "It's okay. I'll just look at him with my Byakugan and check to see if I can find what's wrong."

Her bloodlimit was then activated, and she stood over Kakashi, looking down at him thoroughly. She blinked a few times, seemingly out of surprise, and looked at Naruto with a questioning look. "Did anything happen with the Nine tails, and Kakashi-san?" All Naruto could do was raise his eyebrows and shake his head.

"Why? What's up with him?" Naruto asked, standing on the other side of the bed, looking down at the well known Copy Ninja.

"His chakra coils are.... Enlarging, filling up with a multi-colored chakra. His chakra flow is irregular, as well. As if he was in some kind of Genjutsu." Hinata then looked up at Naruto suspiciously, the veins and strain in her eyes ebbed away slowly as she looked at him. "The Fox didn't decide he needed _more_ room, did he?"

Naruto quickly shook his head, and glanced around to make sure no one was in the room. "Tsunade's necklace- it has some weird things going on with it. Remember the dream we had? The one where Madara and the Shodaime were facing down at the Valley of the End? Well, I think--"

"What's going on with Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura demanded, bursting into the room. Kiba and Sasuke followed her in.

"Get back to your assignment, _Genin_," Naruto seethed. More than anything, he did not like to be interrupted when his thoughts began to roll like a train... To lose the momentum was nearly unbearable.

"What's wrong with him?" Kiba inquired, staring down at the motionless Hatake.

"What did you do, Naruto?" Sasuke's voice accused. It was fortunate for the three of them that Hinata replied first.

"You three are committing high treason by disrespecting the Utsurokage!" Hinata whispered dangerously, sliding a kunai from the pouch at her thigh.

The three Genin instantly froze, the breathe catching in their lungs. Naruto followed the Hyuuga's lead and nodded. "I could have all three of you executed for abandoning your mission."

"I'd be more than happy to do it, Utsurokage-sama," Hinata said, inching forward.

Naruto held up a hand to stop her. The three 'traitors' all let out relieved sighs. "But you do have a point." He eyed the three carefully. Even Sasuke, with his ever-present arrogance, seemed a little shaken. "If you three are finally looking for some real action... Then you've found it. Everything that happens, is said, and is ordered is an S-class secret. Understand?"

"Hai, Utsurokage-sama!" The three chanted simultaneously.

Naruto smiled victoriously at his Kitsune-eared friend. She merely nodded back, a hint of a grin playing across her lips.

"Kakashi is a vital asset to the village; he's irreplaceable. However, we have a problem. Due to an unfortunate experiment, he is now incapacitated... We have to do something to make his absence at the Academy more bearable."

The three were now looking at him suspiciously.

Naruto continued, his voice conveying a deeps sense of urgency, "You three must fill in for him as teachers. We cannot allow our academic regime to be disrupted." He could tell that the Genin were about to complain, so he raised a hand to stop them. "And when he is fully recovered, I promise to send you on a very, very special mission. So, train hard as well." He could see the excitement light up all of their eyes; they absolutely glowed with anticipation. Even Sasuke looked pleased.

"You three better get back to the Academy. The students can't be kept waiting," Hinata pointed out.

"Hai, Utsurokage-sama!" they all called out in unison, taking deep bows. Then, in a flurry of movement, they each rushed out of the door.

"That went better than expected," admitted Naruto, who grinned over at Hinata.

"You're a natural leader, Naruto-kun," Hinata praised, smiling at him. This made Naruto cringe and hang his head sadly. She quickly moved to his side, grasping his hand in her own. He glanced up, in surprise, and stared into her eyes. He gave her a look of sincere gratitude, before letting his eyes travel back to Kakashi. The Copy Cat nin had, thankfully, stopped thrashing about. He now lay there peacefully; almost as if he were sleeping.

"Where's my necklace, you reckless fool?" A shrill voice shouted, just as the door burst open once more. A young girl strode in, with Jiraiya following close behind, looking nervous. It took Naruto another moment to remember that the legendary Sannin Tsunade was a twelve year old once more. He gave her a foxy grin.

"Hello, Tsunade-chan," he began amiably. She only glared in response, crossing her arms. He quickly continued, "I was only examining it; I swear! It's perfectly safe... and I'm sorry I stole it from you." He smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, giving a groan of disgust. "Hear that, Jiraiya? This boy thinks he actually got the necklace away by _skill_." She laughed harshly, making Naruto grimace. "I let you take it, of course. Out of gratitude." She walked to Kakashi's side, examining to restraints on his body.

"Jiraiya-sensei, there's something weird about that necklace," Naruto confided, glancing at Tsunade surreptitiously. She hadn't heard, and was still examining Kakashi. Jiraiya nodded down at his student. "I also don't think it would be a good idea to remove it from Ka-"

"Ouch!" Tsunade yelped, jumping back from the bed. She cradled her left hand to her chest, glaring over at Kakashi. Naruto moved over to the Copy Nin, staring wide-eyed at the necklace; it was glowing white hot, burning Kakashi's skin as well. It soon came back to its normal heat and hue. Naruto looked accusingly at Tsunade.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing, you little brat! I just tried to get my necklace back.. Look there!" She pointed back at Kakashi.

The ring around his neck where he was burned was smoking; the flesh was healing at an extremely fast rate. "What could cause this...?" Naruto wondered loud.

"Byakugan!" Hinata said, unnecessarily forming the seal at her chest. She examined Kakashi's body once more. "His chakra system is starting to reach stability... But there are two chakra flows. I don't understand. Naruto?" She looked over at him hopefully; he always had some sort of answer. He only shrugged, glancing nervously at Tsunade. He mouthed 'We'll talk later' to her. Hinata gave a near imperceptible nod.

"Well, kid, that damned necklace has caused me nothing but pain. If your friend lives, he's welcome to the bastard piece of jewelry." She ran her unhurt hand over the injured one, healing it with her medical ninjutsu. She then left without another word.

Jiraiya sighed, "She's still mad at me for leaving Shizune behind in Tea country. How could I have made such a mistake?" The man ran a hand through his long, snow-white hair. His gaze lingered on Kakashi for a long time, and the room was completely silent; save the beeping form the monitors. "She and I will be on a mission for the next week or so, looking for her friend. She'll kill me if we don't leave today. With Kakashi incapacitated like this..." He gave the two Kaimu leaders a worried look. Then he nodded to himself. "You two are perfectly capable of running _your_ village. I'll be back as soon as our mission is complete. While I'm out, I'll try to convince Tsunade to stay in Kaimu and lead the medical department of the village. Kami knows we need help there..." With a final lingering glance at the three others in the room, he left.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata whispered, moving closer to him. He enveloped her in his arms, breathing in the her heady scent. He smiled as one of her Kitsune ears twitched. "What's going on with Kakashi-san?"

"Whatever it is, it has something to do with our recurring dreams. It also has something to do with the Sharingan. All we can do now is wait for Kakashi to wake up."

* * *

"Sasuke-sensei, look!" a small boy, around eight, yelled out. He threw his shuriken at the dummy practice target; it hit it square in it's wooden chest.

"Good job, Konan. Keep it up!" Sakura said brightly, but Sasuke seemed a little distracted.

"There's something..odd... about those kids over there," Sasuke said ominously, causing Sakura to look in the direction his eyes were pointing. On the far side of the Academy training ground was a group of students gathered around a girl around the same age as Sasuke and Sakura. She wore a light blue, short-sleeved kimono with a white trim over a light green turtleneck sweater. The end of the kimono reached just above her knees, and a matching skirt flowed down to just before her ankles. Traditional sandals adorned her feet. Sasuke stared at the girl suspiciously as she spoke animatedly, using her hands for emphasis.

"Probably some sort of club meeting,"Sakura said dismissively.

"No, that's not it... Look, they each have a pail of water in front of them."

Sakura glanced up again and watched as the eldest student lectured those gathered around herself. She watched for a full five minutes before getting bored. "It's nothing, Sasuke. Class is over; these kids are just eager to learn. Whatever is happening over there is nothing to be concerned over." Sakura then walked over to the group who were practicing throwing shuriken and kunai. Sasuke continued to watch the oddball group.

It came as a complete surprise when the girl raised her arms up, and the water from every pail rose up with them, freezing as she reached the peak of her arm span. Every student around her clapped energetically, and she smiled around at them. It was then that Sasuke noticed the similarities that the girl shared with her audience; black, straight hair. Light brown eyes, and pale skin. With a smooth motion of her hands, the water splashed back down into their respective pails.

Sasuke trotted over to the group as it dispersed. He waited until the girl was alone, picking up the last remaining bucket of water, to approach her. "Hello, my name is Sasuke U-"

"Uchiha, yes." She said curtly, glancing around the courtyard. "Can I help you?" Her voice was soft and kind. Her eyes were deep set and sad, though.

"I was just wondering what you were doing a moment ago." He walked alongside her, as she made her way from the Courtyard to the gate. She dumped the water out there, in a preformed puddle. She then stacked the pail on top of the others, in a neat column. She answered him as they left the Academy grounds and entered the streets.

"Oh, I was only showing my clan members the Kekkai Genkai they will one day master themselves." She stared straight ahead as she spoke, always so softly. Sasuke would be surprised if anyone else could hear her but him.

"So, you can control water, huh?" He felt a little smug; _his_ bloodlimit was much cooler.

She giggled, shaking her head. "That's not all. Did you see the whole demonstration?"

"Oh, yeah... the end. You turned the water to ice."

"It's extraordinarily useful, despite what you may think." She gave him a knowing smile, and Sasuke turned his head away in embarrassment. It was as if she had seen into his mind. "It's fine. I can understand why you, of all people, would think something like that."

Sasuke grunted, "And how would you know what I was thinking?"

"Your own expression gave you away instantly. In fact, I would work on that if I were you. A ninja should be a master of his body; especially outward signs of emotions."

Sasuke decided to change the subject. "You said they would one day master the Kekkai Genkai _themselves_. So, that means you are already a master?"

She giggled once more, shaking her head again. "You could say that, yeah." She then turned the full power of her sad, strange eyes on him. Now that Sasuke got a closer look, he could see hidden icy flakes of blue in the irises. "Have you mastered your own Kekkai Genkai, Sasuke-san?"

He grinned at her mischievously, "You could say that, yeah."

"You're getting better at this," she said seriously.

He blinked, "At what."

"At being a ninja, of course." They now reached the Core gate, and were passing through it along with dozens of others in the mulling crowd. Between the Outer Core and Core, not many clones of Hinata and Naruto were seen anymore. Most of the construction was complete, or was being undertaken by experts that didn't need just raw manpower. But the Shell was still crawling with the doppelgangers of the two Kaimu leaders.

"You're very perceptive and intelligent... and a more than capable of being a Genin. So... are you? A ninja, I mean?" Sasuke said, looking at her questioningly.

"I could have accepted the rank of a full fledged ninja when Hinata-sama was assessing my clan. But I respectfully declined, deciding to take the traditional ninja exam. It's only a month from now, you know." She glanced up at him, being an inch or two shorter. Sasuke noted that she omitted what rank she would have been assigned if she had accepted.

"Of course. I wish you luck, then..." he suddenly found himself standing at the gate that led into a clan's grounds. A large, ornate sign said 'The Momochi Clan's Estate.' He looked back at the girl, wondering how they had traveled the distance so fast. She smiled at him, once again seemingly knowing what he was thinking.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke-san." She then turned, preparing to enter the gate.

"Wait!" Sasuke blurted, remembering something important. "What's your name?"

She paused, with her back turned. Then she turned her head, giving Sasuke a small smile, almost in mock of his forgetfulness. "It's Haku." And then she was gone.

Sasuke stood there for a moment as the people mulled about. With a shrug, he walked in the direction of the Berserk Clan estates. Tonight was to be his initiation.

* * *

**All right, so don't start panicking and getting into a fret thinking that Haku is a gay guy out to turn this fanfic into a Yaoi. Haku is a she, so take a moment to establish that in your minds. Deep breathe now, all together! I am just introducing her into the story now, when it is pivotal.**

**I am extremely sorry for the long wait, but I hope to make that up to you! Thanks for reading.**


	18. Kakashi's Recovery

Sasuke walked into the main branch of the Berserker clan compound. Immediately, a roar of applause greeted him. He smiled broadly as the entire clan rushed to crowd around him, clapping him on the back.

Ayami, one of the women in the clan, in the later stages of pregnancy, kissed him on the cheek. Sasuke flushed, embarrassed at the over-emotional response he was getting. Yet, it all felt good. It felt… right.

"Ah, Sasuke, there you are!" Gin said, suddenly standing before the Uchiha.

"Hey," was all Sasuke managed to say before another round of cheering broke out.

"Are you ready, boy?" Gin asked with a grin.

Sasuke paused, carefully taking in the happy faces around him. The feeling of acceptance perforated his body, and it felt good. He gave a single nod.

"Then I'm sorry for what we're about to put you through," Gin said grimly, shaking his head.

Sasuke blinked, finding himself alone in the dark. Nothing was visible, save Ayami standing before him.

"What is your prime desire?" she inquires softly.

"To kill my brother," Sasuke replies promptly, without thought. The woman nods, vanishing.

"What is your greatest fear?" Gin asks, his voice a ghost's whisper in Sasuke's ear.

"Itachi," Sasuke answers, a shiver crawling up his spine.

"Why do you wish to join us?" a chorus of voices erupts around the Uchiha.

"To… to…" it is only at this point that he hesitates. But the answer surfaces; it all becomes clear. A determination creeps into his voice. "To wipe away my past. To unlock my future."

Silence. The darkness slowly filters out of the surrounding area, and Sasuke opens his eyes, not knowing that they had been closed.

"Welcome to the clan, son." Gin says softly, a hand squeezing Sasuke's shoulder from behind the boy. Sasuke looks up, a variety of emotions coursing through his mind, yet only one showing on his face: gratitude.

"We'll have the Utsurokage sign the papers to make it official, but as far as we're concerned… you're one of us, Sasuke of the Berserker Clan."

The boy grinned, nodded, then rushed from the room before anyone, he thought, noticed the moisture in his eyes.

When he was out of hearing range, the group stood solemnly, looking around at each other.

"What's this business about killing his brother?" asked one, a tall, broad man with his long crimson hair braided into dozens of stocks, cascading about his head. Armour, they called him.

"I've only heard stories of the massacre of the Uchihas, I don't know the details. But, what I do know is: Sasuke's brother was the cause of it. This Itachi fellow."

They all stood their together brooding. This would have to be brought out into the open.

* * *

Renzaki Zen smiled as he watched his fellow samurai spar on the grassy plain. It was an unusual day; the elders had allowed the village to open its gates. This has not been done in many years, and it worried Renzaki. Regardless of his fears, he was nonetheless grateful. He strolled, feeling free as the gentle breeze rustled his topknot. He had decided today he was deserving of wearing his honor once more upon his head.

It brought great joy to Zen's heart as he watched the young children frolic happily before him. In fact, now that he thought about it, this was probably the only time they had been outside the village in their short lives. It had been so many years since the gates had been opened like this... What were the elders thinking? He'd have to discuss the matter with his sister. But for now... he found it very easy to just enjoy himself.

"Hey, Zen, come over here!" his brother, Ren, called out. Zen made his way over to his older brother, allowing his smile to transform into a carefree grin.

"Hey, Ren," Zen said casually.

"You know," Ren said, conspiratorially, "I hear Suna is amassing their garrisons. Making their ninja train especially hard."

Zen glanced to his left and right. Though samurai were honorable in most aspects, the elders did have a healthy amount of distrust. Especially with Zen and his band of 'followers.' "How reliable is your source?"

Ren's smile was grim. "How reliable is a captured Genin of the village?"

Zen nodded. It was wartime. Some things had to be done, always for the greater good. It was time the ninja tyrants were ended, and the time of the Samurai returned. "Make sure Kinzou and his group remain unnoticed. I don't want the Leader hearing that they're alive; it would hinder any further operations..."

"Hai, Renzaki-sama," Zen's brother half mocked, giving him a playful grin. But they both turned very serious.

The Leader was a ruthless man, disciplined to the core. His will was as strong as his Katana, which was the longest and most refined sword in the village, perhaps even the world. His armor is made of the lightest, strongest metals available in the world. His tactical skills were untested as of yet, but he has never been beaten at a game of Shogi. He was by far the strongest person Zen has ever met, and he did not wish to cross paths with the man. To get on the wrong side of the Leader meant death. If there was an equivalent of a lord to serve in the village, he was it. Though the Council did have political rule, the Leader held the loyalties of all the samurai. Zen included.

Though the Leader was a dangerous potential opponent, Zen would never forget where his loyalties lie. But for now, he would have to work in the shadows, as much as that made him question himself. Though, he reflected, what didn't make him question himself? Ever since he had 'enlightened' himself and the others, he had only caused more and more turmoil inside his mind and soul. What was he to do?

"Zen? Hey, brother, snap out of it!" Ren said, annoyed.

"Huh?" Zen shook his head, glancing over at his sibling.

"I was trying to tell you about this girl I met last night..."

Zen laughed, preparing to listen to the long, doubtlessly exaggerated tale of his brother's night.

* * *

Naruto stared down at Kakashi, shaking his head. It had been three days since the man had been unconscious, and he has shown no signs of waking up. Naruto knew it was his fault, but he also knew he needed to talk to Kakashi right away.

"Wake up, Kakashi-san," Naruto willed.

It didn't work.

* * *

Hinata phased into existence, the rush of air to fill the void she popped out of stopping as quickly as it began. She thought over the mechanics of the technique once more:

The chakra field generated by the coils in the walls, and in many buildings, reacted with only Hinata's and Naruto's chakra. It created a sort of all encompassing net that they were able to concentrate on; it was like a sixth sense. If they slipped between dimensions, concentrating on a singular point within the field, or slightly outside of it (where it's power still had influence) they would be warped there. Since there was no such thing as time, space, or matter between the dimensions, it wasn't exactly necessary to move in it. But without the concentration of the field of chakra aiding them, they would not be able to teleport. It was this same net that prevented others, without the Negative chakra, from teleporting.

However...

Hinata had been working out a new technique that Naruto had not even thought of yet. No matter what, one would not die while in-between dimensions. They had to die in their home dimension/universe. Thinking about this, she thought herself immortal. Naruto had quickly pointed out how wrong she was when she asked him about that. He told her that you would always lose connection with the Negative chakra when unconscious or undergoing system failure, such as the symptoms death causes. It was involuntary; it could not be stopped as it was an act of nature.

So it became quite confusing when she thought about how she couldn't affect her own universe or dimension while travelling between the two. Why did she have to walk or run to places outside of the village? Of course, there was no chakra net to enable them pinpoint accuracy in travelling. And seeing the other realm of existence, while using the Negative Chakra, through a hazy purple-black veil only inhibited the accuracy of her 'movement.' But... that did not stop them from moving as fast as they wanted.

She was planning on testing it out later that day, but she wanted to ask Naruto about it first. It seemed simple enough; slip between dimensions, travel at unprecedented speeds, then slip back out. Right? Yet that's where it all went wrong... By travelling so fast, how would she even know where she was? How would she attempt to travel to another place, such as a far off village, without ending up hundreds of kilometers off the mark?

Hinata sighed. Though she was smart in her own right, she usually left the physics to Naruto. She had no trouble understanding it when he explained it, but when she tried to wrap her own mind around it...

After all, it was freakishly weird how the chakra net was linked so close to her at all times. It was a rebounding energy, ever present, like lapping waves of electricity on her skin. It had been extremely disconcerting at first, but she grew accustomed to it. She actually felt fond of it now; it was not an unpleasant feeling. It was warm, soothing even. Though Hinata's vision was nearly a sixth sense itself, the net was like having Kami's own eyes. She could feel the village. Any disturbance and she would know it. And if she were to take the time, she would be able to use the all encompassing energy to actually locate someone. Even if they were in the Shell and she was in the Core.

But it didn't take any extrasensory perception to know Naruto would still be at the hospital, that same guilty look Hinata had grown so accustomed to ever since he had trapped Tsunade in the cube. She sighed once more, feeling sadness. Naruto hasn't been truly happy in so long. He needed some cheering up...

Then her eyes sparkled as her plan formed in her mind. _Not too much longer, Naruto-kun, and you will get all the happiness you deserve!_ And her mind went into overdrive as she mapped it out, changing her course to go meet a few people.

* * *

Kiba was in the process of showing his class the leaf chakra exercise when he heard the excited calls of other students, somewhere else on the training ground. Akamaru's ears twitched and he let out an excited bark as well. Kiba blinked, letting the leaf fall from his head. His class diligently stayed in their spots, even though their attention was cast elsewhere.

"Kinji, you have the best grasp of the technique. You're in charge while I'm away. Keep the others here, all right?" Kiba looked expectantly at the much younger boy, who nodded obediently. Kiba ran from the group of academy students, Akamaru at his heals.

It only took half a minute to find the source of the excitement. It was Sasuke showing off his fire techniques. Kiba rolled his eyes. 'Leave it to Sasuke to make it his priority to get a larger fan base.' The Inuzuka thought, amused at the display.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Kiba called out. "That's really flashy and all, but maybe you should teach them the effects as well, eh?"

Sasuke glared, his show interrupted. Then he sighed in defeat, giving his audience his attention once more.

"Techniques like these burn chakra at a frightening rate. If you're not careful... you could suffer from chakra exhaustion."

A short kid with big, round glasses smiled and raised his hand. "Sasuke-sensei, we know all about that." He pressed the frame of his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Kakashi-sensei taught us the importance of chakra control. He said it will be our greatest asset."

Kiba's eyebrows shot up in surprise. This particular group of children were fairly young; none any older than nine. Back in Konoha, more precise chakra control was aimed at the older kids, who would soon graduate.

Kiba cocked his head at the scrawny kid with the glasses. He couldn't help but ask, now. "How much do you know about chakra control?"

The kid gave a big grin, "I'm the best in my year!" His small chest puffed up in pride. Kiba studied the boy for a moment, wondering how he could decipher the boy's true prowess in chakra control.

"What does Kakashi-sensei focus on when teaching you?" Kiba asked, though he thought he already knew the answer.

"Chakra control, of course," the boy said, rolling his eyes. It seemed like such a ridiculous question to him.

"That makes sense," Sakura stated, walking up beside Kiba.

"Hey, Sakura," Kiba said quietly, studying the kid before him. He had smelled Sakura coming long before she had made a noise.

"Well," Sasuke grunted, "that's all well and good. Now, back to my lesson." He smirked then, raising his hands to his chest to perform a hand sign.

"No, Sasuke-kun, don't waste your time…" Sakura muttered, staring at the children before them. "Hey, what's your name?" she asked the kid with the glasses.

"Akira," he said with a blush, scratching the back of his head in a nervous fashion.

"Could you do a henge for me? I can sense chakra, so I will be able to gauge your abilities," Sakura said with a smile. The kid buzzed with energy at the thought of being able to show off.

"Yeah! Cool!" the kid grinned, forming a tiger seal. He transformed into an almost exact copy of Sasuke. Even his posture was near perfect; his slouch and weight distribution just right. To finish off the look, he shoved one hand into his shorts' pocket and stared at Sakura with half-lidded eyes. "How's that?"

Sakura stared at him for a moment. She nodded, a slightly surprised look on her face. "Kiba, Sasuke, we need to talk." She quickly led her teammates out of hearing range of the students. "That kid… his chakra control is almost as good as mine!"

"Whoa! No way! That shrimp?" Kiba exclaimed, an eyebrow raised.

"Hn. Well, maybe he's just gifted," Sasuke stated dismissively.

Sakura shook her head emphatically, "No, no, no. These students- all of them- they have been drilled by Kakashi-sensei for only a few months. How can that boy be so precise in his chakra molding?"

"Ta-lent." Sasuke said, exaggerating the word.

Sakura sighed in defeat. "Yeah, maybe…"

Kiba looked from Sakura to Sasuke, feeling weird. There was a sort of tension in the air. In fact, things had been weird between the three of them for a while now. "Okay, back to work. We don't want to let Kakashi-sensei be disappointed with our teaching skills!" Kiba said enthusiastically, trying to motivate the other two. Sakura stared at the ground and shrugged, stealing a glance at Sasuke.

Sasuke just looked everywhere but at Sakura and grunted. The three of them wandered off, back to their classes.

* * *

A week after Kakashi's hospitalization, Sasuke found himself back in the hospital. Yet it was for a completely different reason than he had suspected.

Earlier that day, Gin had mentioned that the clan would be gathering in the Kaimu General Hospital later that evening. He told Sasuke it would be a vital step towards the rebuilding of the Sharingan. So, here Sasuke stood, staring wide-eyed at an empty glass tank, anchored to the wall by a metal frame and several feet of cables and tubes.

"It's a prototype," explained Gin, "of the machine we will use to activate our dormant bloodline limit."

"But there are still a few kinks," sighed one doctor. He studied the clipboard in his hands, flipping through pages of information. "In order to access the kekkai genkai gene, we have to know the genetic makeup of the Sharingan first." The white-haired doctor stared pointedly at the former Uchiha.

Sasuke's eyebrows rose and he slowly, almost unnoticeably, shifted his weight and angled his body towards the door. "And?" the boy asked cautiously.

"Ah, Sasuke, lighten up. He would just need a blood sample and, well, an eyeball… Or two."

"What?" Sasuke exclaimed, making a mad dash for the door. He was caught around his midriff before he could take two steps away from Gin.

"Sasuke, my boy, lighten up! I was just joking," he laughed and the whole room exploded in a raucous uproar of glee. Sasuke glared up at the man, struggling to get out of the one-armed hold. Gin let go of the genin, who backed away glaring daggers at everyone in the room.

"Yeah, laugh it up. Fine, whatever. See if you can do this without me," he replied haughtily.

"Oh, come on, Sasuke. It was just a joke." Gin rolled his eyes and grinned, the movement stretching the gnarly scar on his cheek. "I almost didn't do it, but I was like 'Hey, why the hell not?' Of course, I didn't know you had no sense of humor." Then the man sighed. "We're family now; we really need to work on our trust a bit, yeah? Also, this sort of playing around is common in our clan. So get used to it."

Sasuke gave Gin a dead-eyed stare. "I'm going to tell you a story I've only told one other person, who happened to be the Hokage. I only tell you this so you know I'm willing to open up to you all. To prove I truly want to make this work."

A few gazes met, and a few nods were shared. They cracked the kid; he was going to let them in now.

"My family was slaughtered by my bastard of a brother. He slew the women, the children…. Everyone! My aunts, my uncles, my cousins, my parents. He killed them all! Their blood flowed in cracks of the cobblestone streets. Nothing could stop him… he is the most powerful person I know." Sasuke paused here, almost reflectively. Nothing showed on his face. Not anger, not remorse. Not even a lust for revenge.

"And do you know what he does with me? He leaves me alive. He flaunts it in my face; he puts me into a genjutsu that makes me relive my parents death over, and over and over for seventy-two hours straight. His parting words have been my guiding light through life for many years, until I came to this village."

Sasuke's gaze was now on the ceiling, staring past it, straight into space. "He wanted me to hate him. To become stronger than him. To kill my best friend, even, to gain more power. And now… I've found something that will completely destroy him. I have found another family; people who have a strong sense of family ties, something Itachi," here he choked on the word, "stole from me. You guys… are the last hope. And I know that… without you… I'm lost." Sasuke, after his emotional outpour, stood there silently with his head hung. His body trembled in shame at the admission of weakness.

"Sasuke," a voice spoke, soft and soothing. A woman with crimson red hair and matching eyes stepped forward from the crowd of Berserkers, her stomach curving in a slight swell. She was at least three months pregnant, and she looked like the perfect representation of a loving mother. She folded her arms around Sasuke, pulling him into a hug that the former Uchiha had not felt in many years. A mother's hug. "There is no shame in admitting you are human. That you do, in fact, need others on an emotional as well as physical level." Ayami consoled him.

"We're all here for you," Gin added, "now that we know you are here for us. Welcome to the family, Sasuke." The man clapped the former Uchiha on the back as other members of Sasuke's new family surrounded him.

For the first time in many years, Sasuke felt like he had a group of people who he could actually relate to. He finally found a family in the Berserker clan.

* * *

Two weeks passed without incident. Sasuke was inducted into the Berserker clan officially with a small, private ceremony that Naruto signed off on. This was custom for clan inductions. Sakura, Kiba, and Sasuke continued filling in for their sensei at the Academy.

The Utsurokage Tower was finished in Naruto's set two-week deadline, and everyone set back into their usual routines. Hinata trained hard on her Jyuuken in the Dojo in the Outer Core, while Naruto meditated in his office, trying to find peace in himself. Just after he amended for his mistake with his experimental jutsu, this just had to happen. Would he ever be able to clear his conscious?

Naruto groaned, falling back out of his meditative trance. He had been going over the past month in his head over and over again, with great detail. His capture of Tsunade, the rescue of her younger self, his fight with Renzaki Zen, and even the incident with Kakashi.

Yet, even now his intellectual side was drooling in anticipation. What secrets could Kakashi reveal, once he woke up? Naruto cringed at this thought.

"That's if he wakes up," he muttered bitterly.

"Naruto! Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed, zipping into his office. Naruto yelped in surprise as he was tackled, causing him to slide backwards across the waxed wooden floor. Her arms were tight around his neck in a hug, and she was yelling something excitedly.

"What? What? What's going on?"

"Kakashi-san! He's woken up!" Hinata called out, pulling herself off of him. She didn't even blush, the excitement making her forget her old tendencies.

"Really?" Naruto cried out, jumping to his feet. "I need to see him right away."

"And here I stand, Utsurokage-sama." Kakashi said, standing at the door. He was back in his shinobi gear, his hitai-ate… on his forehead, surprisingly. Kakashi seemingly grinned under the mask, and Naruto notice something was odd…

The male Utsurokage hopped to his feet, his eyes as big as saucers. "Kakashi… your-"

"Yes. It's amazing… the power I have!" Kakashi looked down at his hands, a visible spark of blue chakra discharging from his fingertips. "The changes I have undergone are immensely useful, I must add."

Naruto blinked several times, edging forward. Though Kakashi was much taller than the teen Kage, the Copy nin's eyes had undergone a visible change. For one thing, the Sharingan that had originally resided in the man's left eye, was now in both eyes. Furthermore, they were much different than any Sharingan…. No, wait.

"I've seen those eyes before! In a dream!" Naruto exclaimed, excited. This almost certainly confirmed what he had been theorizing on for so long: the secret of the Sharingan was sealed in that necklace! "You must tell me everything!" Naruto was in such a state of excitement that he forgot all his previous worries. He was nearly clinging to the man by the time he finished his speech.

Kakashi's tomoe spun so fast that they blurred into a single line. "Why don't I show you?" And everything went black.

* * *

"Ah, the great Uzumaki Naruto: Utsurokage of Kaimugakure. I trust you have many questions." It was a steady, soothing voice. Each word was charged with power, laced with energy. From the shadows, a man emerged into Naruto's view.

"What is this place?" Naruto asked, diverting the man's attention for the briefest of moments to buy himself some time. In fact, the Uzumaki had already worked dozens of possible theories through a process, and concluded that he was in a genjutsu. Yet, he trusted Kakashi completely. There must be a good reason.

"Let's not fool around. I'm here to tell you something important." The man with long, black hair was youthful. His traditional ninja armor was unmarred, and he looked exactly the same as he had in Naruto's dream. It was the same man that had fought Madara.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Naruto countered, deciding to be snide. If he didn't act important and powerful, as if the man's time wasn't worth his time, he would quickly lose any power he may have had to begin with in the conversation.

"Very well. My job is not complete; the man I sought out to eliminate is still at large. In fact, he's causing more turmoil in your world than you may imagine."

"Madara? He's nothing! No one's even heard a whisp-"

"I'm not through, boy. And what do you think someone of his talents and power would do? Broadcast that he was still alive… tell everyone his plans, perhaps? No. He's working covertly, biding his time as he has done for many years. It's time you learned the truth. Someone must."

Naruto stared at the man, who paused for the briefest of moments to examine the young Kage. To Naruto's credit, the Uzumaki did not even fidget.

"Madara unknowingly created a jutsu that allowed for the replication of his Sharingan. In doing so, he has made the ability to amass powerful ninja like never before. However, if I know him, he will be cautious about who he gives such power to."

"So that's what happened in my dream!" Naruto said, grinning. Then he frowned, as it dawned on him. "This means trouble, huh?"

"Naturally. It was this very problem I considered for many years after I defeated Madara. It was for this reason I sealed myself into the necklace-"

"Tsunade-san's necklace?" This was new information. Now Naruto questioned why he had not asked how he was communicating with a dead man in the first place. But, stranger things have happened…

"The one you ordered Kakashi to look into, yes. That was foolhardy of you, and reckless. You knew the risks, didn't you?" The Shodai glared down at Naruto now, who nearly flinched.

"I needed to know. This information is vital!"

"Correct. Your blind luck may have given the chance for the world to survive. I have taken Kakashi as my vessel, much like you being a Jinchuuriki. His powers have been enhanced, and his DNA has been altered. He's now fully integrated with the Sharingan, as well as possessing my own genetics. These gifts I do not give lightly: they are merely my attempts to provide a more formidable enemy for Madara. He has been the bane of my existence for too many years… I am determined to see him exterminated." The Shodai's voice was ice cold now, as was his stare. Looking into the man's eyes, he could see a brief flash of a gray Sharingan.

"You've been locked in here for so long, because of your friend…" Naruto said softly, suddenly seeing through the tough exterior of the former Hokage. Those few words made the muscles in the man's neck bulge. They made his gaze break.

"You are more perceptive than I initially believed. Yes, he was my best friend. A brother, really. But he tore away our bonds as soon as he disgraced our organization with his despicable murder. All in the name of power." The Shodai turned his back now on Naruto. "I cannot tell you what Madara is doing, because I do not know. What I am certain of is this: he resides in Amegakure. This I was able to determine from Kakashi's not inconsiderable knowledge of the current world of ninjas." He paused once more, then turned to face the Utsurokage.

They stared at each other for a full minute before the Shodai spoke once more. "Can I entrust you with my burden, Naruto? The longer I use Kakashi as a host, the weaker I become. He has already absorbed most of my powers over the two week period it took him to adjust. Eventually, I will be completely assimilated, soul and all."

Naruto's eyes widen oh so slightly. This man was putting himself out of existence, just for a chance he will make Madara's end come. And now that he knew he didn't have much time left, he was asking Naruto for help. Looking into the Shodai's eyes, Naruto knew this was not an easy task for him. It was probably more difficult for him to entrust this sort of task to Naruto than it would be for him to complete it himself.

"Madara is my shame. I shouldn't have let him survive, yet I did anyway. I convinced myself for so long that that final, crushing blow had killed him. I told myself every day that he was dead. Yet… in the back of my mind, I knew he was still lurking in the shadows. He's waits even now for the perfect time to strike. When he does, Naruto, it will most likely be after I am gone." The Shodai kneeled before Naruto, bowing his head. This made Naruto extremely uncomfortable. "Uzumaki Naruto, Utsurokage, possessor of a new chakra type… will you do this, not only for me, but for the rest of the world? Will you end my shame?"

Naruto now understood the Shodai. This submissive behavior was not out of defeat, but out of respect and pleading. He kneeled to Naruto not to beg, but to implore.

"I'll do it."

* * *

Naruto blinked at the sudden light. Kakashi towered over him, his eyes nearly glowing with energy.

"Huh." Naruto said simply. He glanced over at Hinata, then at Kakashi. "I say we kick some Madara ass. How about you, Hinata-chan?"

She didn't even hesitate to ask. He knew that she trusted him completely. "Hai, Utsurokage-sama." She smiled at him warmly. He returned the smile. Despite them both having equal power in the village, Hinata still insisted on being semi-formal around others towards him. She said it would strengthen his status, establish his dominance. Though a Council was in the works, the village was based on an autocracy. And as long as Naruto and Hinata were the beloved leaders, that need not change.

"Then I believe it is time we gave Kakashi-san and his three students their first mission."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the eighteenth chapter of A Village of Nobodies. I would appreciate any comments or criticism you may like to give me.**

**And a big thanks to Djinn Crimsora for his continued beta services!**


	19. Mission Time!

Kiba sat silently beneath the large wall that separated him from the target practice range. It was his favorite spot to just hang out in silence, letting him think. He had been informed an hour before about a mission that Team Seven would finally go on. How long had it been since he had been on a mission? The last mission his team had performed was merely as ambassadors to Konoha.

Now, they were to go into real enemy territory.

"Bark, bark!" Akamaru yelped out, wagging his tail. His tongue hung happily from his mouth. He was staring up at the sky. At least, that's what Kiba thought until he heard his sister's voice.

"Heya, runt, what'cha up to?" Hana's voice boomed from above. Kiba grimaced, straining his head upwards to look at his sister. Her hands were on her hips and she sported a playful grin. This reminded Kiba of her annoying ability to hide her scent, preventing him from detecting her at times.

"Got a _huge_ mission from Nar—the Utsurokage. Jealous?" He smirked up at her. Hana laughed, hopping down, landing easily and gracefully. She leaned over and rustled his hair.

"Big mission, eh? Escorting a princess to a kingdom perhaps? Assassinating Iwa's Kage? Oh! I know; are you… infiltrating Amegakure?" Her laughter was comparable to deep, rumbling barks of a large canine. Kiba's face remained smug.

"Can't tell you. Top secret, sis." He stood up slowly, drawing out the action. Then he turned to look his big sister in the face. He dropped the prelude of cockiness in favor of a worried, pained visage. "If me and Akamaru don't make it… make sure you start a ninja memorial. Okay?"

At this, Hana blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"If we die, I want our names carved into a memorial stone, showing that we did our part in trying to make a better Kaimu!"

"Stop being stupid, Kiba, you're only a _Genin_. You won't be sent anywhere dangerous."

Kiba stood there, silent and solemn. "I love you, sis."

At this, Hana really began to freak out.

* * *

"Naruto, we can't let them do that! They're only Genin!" Hinata argued, her arms crossed. She rarely fought with Naruto, often because she agreed with him or trusted his judgment. But after he came out of that trance-like state… he didn't seem to be using his head completely.

"It's perfectly safe. Besides, we need Kakashi at the head of this mission." Naruto said dismissively. Hinata frowned. Kakashi had left, instantly accepting the mission, as any ninja would. After he was gone, Naruto had explained to Hinata everything that had happened when Kakashi put him under that Genjutsu. It was not the place of even a Jounin to question a Kage's orders. However, Hinata was equally as powerful as Naruto, in skill as well as politics.

"They're too young," Hinata began once more.

"No younger than us-"

"Don't start that! We've had years more experience in the field, not to mention what resides inside of us-"

"Hinata," Naruto said pleadingly, "trust me, okay? Listen to what I have to say, _then_ chew my ear off." He stared at her for a moment, and she bit her lip. Finally, Hinata nodded.

"You better have a good reason for this."

Smiling triumphantly, Naruto stepped closer to her. "I know what you've got to be thinking: why not send the Berserker clan?" Hinata gazed at him flatly, despite her heart racing from his sudden change in proximity. "I must be crazy for wanting to send three Genin and our most valuable ninja on the most dangerous mission this village has ever undertaken, right? Wrong." He stepped a little closer, excitement in his eyes.

"What's your point?" Hinata said breathily.

"I have to know." Suddenly, Naruto turned around, keeping his back to the second Utsurokage. "I _need_ to know."

"What? Tell me!" Now she was excited. Whatever was on his mind must be important.

"If they meet, will he kill him? Gin confided in me during the ceremony to make Sasuke a Berserker clan member everything that Sasuke had told him. It makes me suspicious; what ninja in their right mind would leave an enemy behind, just so he could get stronger? Unless there is an alternative motive, that is."

Hinata sighed. It was such a disappointment. "You're missing the biggest flaw of your whole plan. The chances of Itachi being sent out of Amegakure to deal with a foreign threat are slim to none."

Naruto grinned, turning back to Hinata. He moved forward, close enough that Hinata could feel his warm breath. He clasped her hands into his own, raising them up to his chest. His eyes absolutely burned with excitement. Hinata's heart was pounding even harder. "That's the beauty of it. If he _does_ meet them, it is probably because he requested it. And if that stacks onto him not killing Sasuke, it leads me to wonder… just who _is_ he?"

Hinata could now see it. She could see his perfect logic; his cold, calculated chance. She bit her lip, her fox ears dipped down as she cast her gaze at the floor. "It's a lot to risk, Naruto, just for some silly answer."

Naruto pulled her into a hug then, and she let herself nuzzle against his neck. "You know I would never do something like that if there wasn't a good reason, right? Besides, this will give us crucial intel on that village."

"I don't like it. If they die… it'll be all our fault." Hinata sighed against his shoulder, now wrapping her own arms around him.

"If guilt is the price of keeping our village safe, and keeping my promise to the First Hokage, then it's just something I'll have to bear. I know you're strong enough to handle it, too."

Hinata chewed on her lip, this difficult situation weighing heavily on her. Despite being in the arms of the person she cherished most, almost exclusively, she could not fully enjoy it now. Not while the lives of four of their ninja were hanging in the balance. All it would take was her adamant defiance to push Naruto into retracting the mission. If it came to it, Hinata could retract it herself.

But it wouldn't come to that. And for that reason, the shinobi world would enter a state of turmoil unlike any before.

* * *

Sarutobi Asuma examined the message scroll in his hands. "Hm," he mused. "Sounds interesting. Kakashi, you dog. It's a dangerous life you've chosen." He had business now to do with his father. He had been informed of the plan before it had been set in motion, but he hadn't expected events to accelerate so quickly.

It wasn't long before he found himself in front of his father's desk. He didn't often make social visits, so old man Sarutobi was ready for any grim news that his son would bring.

"Hey, dad."

"Son."

"I'm here to pass on this information from Kakashi. It seems our two little Kages have gotten bolder in their position. They're ready to invade Amegakure. I'm sure Rain won't be happy… after their fortifications, they've been enjoying an unprecedented amount of peace."

"Just like Naruto to do so. I'm hoping he is sending a crack team of specialists… Otherwise this would be suicide."

"Heh, that's what any sane person would do. He's sending Kakashi and his team."

"Team Seven?" Sarutobi's aged visage now conveyed surprise. He was old enough to be ready for nearly anything, so it became a rare occurrence to be taken by surprise. "But… that's absurd." He now seemed a little angry. Asuma almost grinned. This was exactly why he never got along with his father.

The Third Hokage was a schemer. He has always been a schemer. That grand mind of his could conceive plans that could prepare for endless variables, encompass whole continents, and contain several redundancies to ensure success. So whenever something didn't follow his grand plan, he got angry. He became intolerable.

"Should we take evasive action? Perhaps we could send along our own forces… tell him it's essential to our alliance that this mission is done properly?"

"No, no. Naruto would never go for that. He may even panic. We would be undermining his authority, even challenging his strength. If we do that, he may close up his village and Kaimu would not ever fully integrate with the ninja world. I cannot risk it. This is a very crucial time for Kaimugakure. However, this new obstacle… has to be dealt with." Sarutobi spun around in his revolving chair, to gaze out of the large window behind him that looked over the village, in the direction of the Hokage Monument.

Asuma knew what his father was doing. He could nearly hear the gears turning in his head. This is what his father was. A think tank. Above all else, his father was a genius; an informational machine, able to chew through all possibilities and choose the correct tactic to overcome any challenge.

"Asuma." Business time.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

"I need you to track Team Seven, ensure their safety, but only interfere when their lives are in extreme danger. It is all right if Kakashi knows, but the three Genin must remain clueless. With the upcoming Chuunin exam preparations, I cannot allow a full special ops team to leave, especially on a village-paid mission."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"You'll be going to dangerous territory… Promise me one thing, my son." Sarutobi then turned to his offspring, more father than anything else. "Stay safe, okay?"

"As safe as a ninja can be."

Sarutobi frowned.

* * *

Renzaki Zen swung his katana down full force, smashing the blade down onto the horizontal block, smashing his opponent to his knees. Shoving his gata-clad foot into the man's armored chest, he ducked under the blade that sliced at him from behind. Spinning on his only grounded foot, he tackled the assailant, shoulder first, in the midriff. Springing forward on the one foot, he brought the man down, rolling head first to land back on his feet.

Immediately he was engaged in battle once more. Parrying the rapid strikes from the sharp katana, Zen twisted around a stab attack, bringing the butt of his hilt into the back of the head of his opponent. The man went down.

A slight whistle alerted him to the incoming blade. Arching his back sharply, Zen snapped his katana to his chest, pointing up. The attacking blade passed beneath his arched back, slicing a few hairs from his long topknot. Thrusting himself backwards as he continued his arching movement, Zen speared at the attacker. A different blade crashed down into his parallel katana, ending his brief flight. Immediately after hitting the ground, Zen rolled to his right quickly to avoid three blades stabbing into the ground where he had just been.

Quickly maneuvering to his feet, Zen backed away from all four of his sparring partners, who now were spread out before him. Just as he took a defensive stance, someone called out, "Time!"

Sheathing his katana, Zen sank to the ground and ran a dirty, gloved hand through his silvery hair. Sweat drenched his armored body. The thirty minute spar against four opponents takes a lot of him.

"No good, brother. Battles last for hours; that'll be nothing when the war comes." Ren grinned down at him, his helmet under his arm. All of the enlightened were present. This was only one of their many training sessions. Ren held out a hand.

"Hah, you're one to talk. You've never made the full thirty minutes without being hit," Zen said with a smirk, taking the proffered hand. After he was pulled to his feet, Ren and Zen walked away from the group to talk privately.

"Rin successfully passed the edict. The village is slowly going into war production; the other Council members are no more than lumps of clay waiting for her skilled hand to mold them." Ren smirked.

Zen was more cautious. "The Leader is no fool. If he doesn't know already, he'll know soon that the Council is being influenced. We were lucky that Lord Jobo had no family. It was child's play replacing him with Rin… but that's where our free ride ends. Removing the others from power is no small feat, and if we are caught, well…. The Leader's men are nothing to mess with, and I'd never cross him openly."

"I know, I know... The Leader is a thousand times stronger than us. Besides that, we need him to lead the attack itself. We get him on our side… we have the village."

Zen suddenly froze. A large grin spread across his face. "The Leader is a man of power. Men of power love power. All we have to do to win him over… is increase his strength!"

Ren grabbed Zen by the shoulder and spun him around so they were face to face. "This," he hissed, "is not the way to go. We give up our only trump card... we give up what protects us most."

Zen shook his head, a plan forming in his mind. "We show him enlightenment. We give him power. Then we unleash him on the ninja world." Zen's eyes focused with a sudden intensity. "And there is only one person I can think of that would be capable of undermining that power. We pit those two against each other, and we stand to gain much more out of the exchange than the Leader does."

Ren frowned, but shrugged his assent. "Whatever you say, brother."

* * *

Sasuke's Sharingan-enhanced eyes darted left and right. It was so incredible! He could see… so much.

"Begin!" roared Gin.

The clan dojo exploded into a furious battle of Taijutsu between three Berserker clan members and Kakashi-sensei. And with his new eyes, Sasuke was able to track every movement they made, despite their actions blurring in the realm of normal vision.

A chorus of smacks and thumps erupted for a split second before three men fell to the polished wooden floor. Standing amongst the fallen ninja was the infamous copy ninja, Hatake Kakashi. Both his eyes bore a special Sharingan that even Sasuke was unfamiliar with.

Gin exploded in a fit of laughter. "Amazing, Hatake-san! Simply astounding!"

Kakashi looked over at Gin with his normal, bored expression. "Hm?"

"Your eyes. You've done something that my clan has been dreaming of for years! You've actually fully acquired the Sharingan... not just an implant! How did you do that?"

Kakashi shrugged, moving his headband over his left eye while deactivating his Sharingan. "S-class secret. I've only revealed it to your clan at the advisement of the Utsurokage Naruto. He wants to keep you privy to certain information, to show his trust in you."

"Mighty fine of the young Kage. I'll give him my gratitude." Gin smiled openly at Kakashi, who only gave him a one-eyed stare.

"There is more business, however. Sasuke," Kakashi looked over at the former Uchiha. "We have a mission." Before Gin could utter a word, Kakashi raised a hand and shook his head. "Also S-class. Sorry, Gin, I'm going to have to borrow your newest inductee."

Sasuke blinked. Newest inductee? "What does he mean?" Sasuke demanded.

"Well, as you know, we're out to protect our family. But our clan is so small... so we're doing genetic tests to verify any heritage to the Uchiha clan. Anyone eligible is invited to be a part of the clan... ninja or not."

Sasuke didn't know how to react to this new parcel of information. He couldn't even decide whether it was good or bad. The Berserker clan was expanding... as well as searching for a way to awaken the dormant Sharingan technique that lay in the DNA of several ninja- Berserker or not. And now he had a mission. He decided to simply focus on that.

"When do we leave?"

* * *

Shikamaru stood outside of his sensei's house, leaning lazily against the wooden training post in the zen garden. His half lidded eyes cast a suspicious gaze on the movement behind the two windows he faced. The house was small, simple, yet in its own way… elegant. He observed the banzai trees lining the stone path that led to the back porch, which was adorned with many artifacts from several countries. A large basin containing sand from Wind country, a large, flowing fountain on the very corner, and most unusually… a large, spiraling white statue that acted as a pillar for the overhanging roof.

Shikamaru grimaced. Something was up. Asuma-sensei never went a whole day without contacting his team. It was now nearing sundown and the red lighting shadowed that spiraling shape menacingly. Shikamaru was never one for omens. He placed all his cards on the rational side of the world. The logical part. Now, as he looked at that inordinate fixture almost _glow_ from the contact from the sun, Shikamaru couldn't help but frown. Something was amiss.

Finally, just as dusk settled, the back door slowly opened then clanged shut. A brief light illuminated Asuma-sensei's face, and then a plume of smoke rocketed from each of his nostrils. "Shikamaru, what a pleasant surprise."

Shikamaru folded his arms and stared at the Jounin. Examining the field gear he wore, Shikamaru already knew he was leaving the village. "Where you headed?"

Asuma shrugged, stepping off the porch. "Thought I'd get some R n' R down in Wind. You know how much I love that place."

"A likely story, I will admit." Shikamaru nodded. Then he unfolded his arms and stepped away from the training post. "That is, if it wasn't for the amount of supplies you were taking with you."

Asuma took a long drag on his cigarette, nodding as he did. He continued to walk forward, eventually coming to a stop beside Shikamaru. "I like to be prepared. Every ninja does. It's a crazy world out there, Shika, and if one isn't prepared…"

"Cut it out. You know we are both too smart to be playing around like this. Take me with you."

"No can do, kiddo. Serious ninja stuff. Can't have a Genin getting in my way." He moved on, causing Shikamaru to turn around and watch him walk away.

"Don't do anything stupid, Sensei!" Shikamaru called out, his hands clenched at his side. He understood what his teacher meant. The mission he was going on must be an A- or even S-rank. He couldn't bring Shikamaru along because he wasn't ready for that kind of action.

"Do I ever?" He let out a long laugh, and then disappeared.

He had only come outside to talk with Shikamaru. He could have just as easily teleported from inside his house.

* * *

Kurenai was as much of a woman at heart as any civilian, yet she was just as much of a cold blooded killer as any ninja. The front she had to put up for some of the men actually angered her. She had to be twice as cool, three times as calculating, and ten times as deadly. The only reason she became a Jonin was for her outstanding track record in battle. She was merciless when needed, and downright scary when it came to it.

So it would have been surprising to some of the ninja in the village if they had learned that she was actually concerned about everyone she came into contact with. She had the ability to empathize with any person, creature, or even demon. She had watched the Uzumaki boy grow up. He was a scrapper, that kid. Always looking for a fight. Always wanting to prove himself.

He reminded her a lot of herself. She, unlike many of the villagers, was unable to hate him, despite her squad mates being killed in the battle against the Kyuubi. She was a rookie Genin at the time, but everyone was called upon to hold the beast back while the Yondaime prepared.

Kurenai also needed very little sleep to function. She often spent her nights training or roaming the wall of the village. So when she spotted Asuma stealthily scaling the wall, she knew something was up.

"Hey, Asuma, what brings you here?" she inquired just as he stepped over the parapet.

"Ah, same old, same old. What's a pretty girl like you wandering around up here at night? You need your beauty sleep." He smirked briefly at her as he continued to the other side of the wall.

Kurenai ignored the sexist comment. "I like to know what's going on in the village, and the best way to do that is to monitor who leaves and who arrives… and for what time and purpose. I see a lot of great ninja leave this village. I get a real sense of joy to see them come back." She stood there for a moment, her right hand on her hip. "I don't need you ruining that joy streak, Asuma."

He chuckled, placing a foot against the lower edge of the battlement. "Wouldn't want to do that to you, sweetie. After all, seeing the only beautiful kunoichi in the village cry would be a terrible shame." Before Kurenai could say another word, he leaped.

She stared at the place where he had just been a moment before. Shaking her head to clear it of uncertain emotions, she continued on her walk.

* * *

Hinata, her half wolf mask in place, settled atop the Outer Core Sphere Tower, which was currently under construction. She monitored the steady rhythm of the few remaining clones working, which couldn't be more than a hundred by now. They had started to employ villagers to stimulate the labor force, but their stores of money were running really low. The recent boom in ninja activity, such as renting dojos or buying supplies, had brought in considerable sales tax revenue… but even that was dwindling with the extensive plans Naruto had come up with for protecting the village.

His vision was truly amazing. Spreading out these Sphere Towers across each section of the village would allow for specific or all-encompassing protection in the event of an attack. He used the same concept of the energy shielded wall, but extended it by planning to store more power in the spheres to collect for emergencies. Once activated, the chakra shield would spread out to connect with the other spheres, creating stable joints for the shield. Building one large tower would be expensive and unsightly, as well as a vulnerability. But with several towers… should an invasion come and a few were taken out, the others could pick up the slack.

It was even theoretically possible for one of the moderate sized towers to shield a whole section of the village by itself, though it wouldn't be as powerful as the combined force.

Also, the large gaps in each of the walls of the village provided a perfect hiding spot for civilians, should any disaster occur. Naruto was taking the defense of the village very seriously, and it was up to Hinata to budget the time, resources, and man power to make sure everything was completed in a timely manner.

Needless to say, it was a thankless job.

"Been a while since we wore this stuff, huh?" Naruto whispered from behind his own mask, materializing out of a violet-black vacuum of nothingness that quickly sealed behind him.

"Feels good to be back in our old gear, though, doesn't it? Reminds me of the time before we had the lives of several thousand people in our hands."

"Heh, just what I was thinking." They were silent for a while. Naruto finally said, "Are you worried about them?"

"Of course I am!" Hinata bit her lip and her kitsune ears drew back. "I can't believe we're sending them to Ame with no backup whatsoever, just so we can gauge this other remaining Uchiha character. What if he slaughters all four of them?"

"Then we know he can't be trusted."

"Trusted? What makes you think he can be trusted even if he doesn't kill them?"

"I take that back- trust is a luxury in ninja life. What I should have said was this: if he kills them, it means we can't use him for our own gain."

Hinata just let out an annoyed groan. She looked over to see Naruto's face, but he was no longer there. With a sigh, she once again looked down at the workers below, shadow clones or otherwise. She finally spotted Team Seven amidst the activity, following their progress towards the final gate out of the village closely.

Biting her lip, she knew she had the power to stop them. She had no idea how important it was that she did. She continued to sit there, unhappy about was about to transpire. Naruto reappeared, hugging her from behind. Despite her mood, she giggled as she saw the peace offering he had brought. A small chocolate bar, partially unwrapped, was being tantalizingly waved beneath her nose. With a laugh, she pecked a piece off.

"We'll make it through this, Hinata-chan. We've been together for so long, argued over so little, that I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you beside me for every little thing. If we get lucky, this could be the end of Uchiha Madara."

This new bit of information made Hinata's eyes widen in surprise. His plans were far surpassing her own suspicions of why he would want to use Itachi. "How?"

Hinata sensed him shake his head, something her enhanced vision allowed for even when the Byakugan wasn't active. A Hyuuga could usually sense what was happening around them at all times. "I don't want to say anything just yet. It's all speculation for now."

Hinata sighed, but nodded. She took the chocolate from Naruto's hand and leaned back into his hug. It was nice to have his arms around her. "Whatever happens, Naruto-kun, I'm with you."

"Thanks, Hinata-chan."

* * *

"This is exciting," Kiba yelped just as Akamaru let out a _yip_. The little canine's head poked out from the slightly unzipped neck of Kiba's jacket and he seemed content to ride along.

"Finally," Sakura said emphatically, "a mission!"

"I thought that the Utsurokage had forgotten about his first ninja recruits," Sasuke said with a smirk. He was just as excited as his team to be leaving Kaimu for a while.

"Now, children, we are professionals heading off to enemy territory. Let's try to act like it, okay?" Kakashi cajoled mockingly. Sakura turned her head and stuck her tongue out at him.

"We're a lot stronger than we were when we first came here, Sensei," Kiba crowed. "We can handle anything that's thrown at us."

"Yeah, sensei, don't you have faith in our abilities?" Sakura teased.

Sasuke grunted, "I can't say anything for my smelly pal over here, but I'm sure _I_ can handle anything thrown at us."

"Hey, you wanna make that a challenge, Uchiha?"

"I don't compete with people who can't remember the names of people they know. I'm no longer an Uchiha."

"Yet you still have the attitude of one," Kiba replied, a knowing smile spreading across his face. Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"Hey, no fighting, you two! Save it for the mission," Sakura instructed.

"Whatever," the two boys said in unison.

As the team trudged along, Kakashi walked behind his three students, silently observing them. They were completely unprepared for what was coming. They weren't taking the mission seriously enough. He was actually disappointed. The regular training sessions he held with them after class before his encounter with the cursed necklace seemed to be a distant memory to them.

He now knew this would also have to be a training experience for them. They would either learn as they went, or be swept away by the powerful current of the ninja world.

Soon enough they reached the final gate out of the village. Real ninja stood guard, along with a few Naruto clones, which Kakashi suspected were stationed there so the Kages would always know who entered or left the village, as well as being constantly informed about the goings on at the gate.

"Team Seven reporting for permission to leave on a mission issued by the Utsurokage Naruto." Kakashi knew that gate guards were always informed about scheduled arrivals and departures, so it wasn't long before they were on their way.

"This is so cool," Kiba said, punching the air.

Kakashi sighed as his team erupted into another chorus of chatter. He would have to teach them the art of shutting the hell up, as well.

* * *

Hinata stood atop the glowing, lavender-red energy barrier of the largest gate in Kaimugakure. The energy sizzled and popped around her, giving off waves of gentle heat. It fed off her chakra, but also seemed to reciprocate that energy in a way that made Hinata feel maternal towards the village in an intimate way.

The chakra that kept the village alive was part of Hinata and Naruto, almost a living thing. As Hinata enjoyed the comforting warmth of the energy surround her, she felt it was almost like a child to her.

"There they go…" Hinata whispered to herself. The energy responded by glowing a deeper lavender color, with pulsing veins of a lava-color coursing the visible spectrum of the shield. Kakashi glanced back in her direction and she raised a tentative hand in farewell. He seemed to smile, though she couldn't tell, and threw a hand up in return.

"Utsurokage-sama, we require your assistance on the placing of the last three sphere towers," a voice called up from below.

"Coming!" Hinata shouted, stealing one last glance at the rapidly disappearing Team Seven. Then she leaped down to return to her work.

* * *

**Well, guys, here's the nineteenth installment of A Village of Nobodies. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.**

**If you have any questions or comments, please leave a review and I'll get back to you. Feel you need to discuss something further? We can talk via private messaging. Thanks for reading!**


	20. Reunion

Sasuke glared at his sensei for the millionth time during the mission. Kakashi gave him a warning glance, putting a surprising amount of intensity into the one-eyed stare. Sighing, Sasuke simply looked forward and trudged on through the mud.

It was raining heavily, and despite the camouflage raincoat he was wearing, Sasuke was drenched. To add to his discomfort, Sakura kept giving him fleeting glances. After catching her, again, openly staring at him, she quickly averted her eyes.

What did she want from him? A 'thank you?' Maybe she wanted a proposal, for Kami's sake! It was one kiss, and she was blowing it completely out of proportion. Sure, he cared about her… but it was a spur of the moment thing. Something he felt was just _right_. He was having a bad night.

Yet, no matter how many excuses he made, Sasuke couldn't fight the feelings he had for the girl.

And to make matters even worse, Kiba and his dog smelled bad. Like, _really_ bad. Sasuke wanted nothing more than to sear his nostrils shut with a fire jutsu just to get some relief from the smell.

Yet, above all, he wanted to voice his frustrations. He wanted to tell Kiba to stop smelling like a freaking dog, to tell Sakura to _please_ stop looking at him like that, and to scream at Kakashi for putting him in such an awkward position.

Upon leaving Kaimu, it had been exciting. A new mission; something to actually _do._ Yet, he had soon found out that it wouldn't be a pleasant trip. First off, Kakashi had begun lecturing them on the importance of stealth on a mission such as theirs. It was then that he told them that if any of them said a word that wasn't directly related to a life-or-death situation, he would perform the Thousand Years of Death jutsu on each of them. Not wanting to have his posterior violated, Sasuke kept his mouth shut.

But that was three days ago, and they were now crossing the border into Rain country… and wasn't that stench a life-or-death situation? It sure was killing him…

"Stop." Kakashi whispered, putting his students on alert. "Someone's coming." And the four, plus Akamaru, scattered into the trees. They were now in stealth mode. Well, more so than before.

Three men in standard Rain village suits walked slowly by, giving their surroundings barely a glance. They wore standard issue Amegakure ninja gear, consisting of a breathing apparatus, rubber bodysuit, and hitai-ate. They paused for a moment in the spot that Team Seven had just been in.

"Hey… there's thermals here, but disappearing fast. Someone was just here, Youta." At this, the speaker jerked his head around, looking for any sign of people. Sasuke tensed. '_He can see our heat signatures?_' That was bad. "Four of them… we're surrounded!"

The large man named Youta called out, "Hey, come down here and we can talk this out. This is probably all just one, big misunder- gack." Then he was down, a kunai handle poking out of the back of his head. Sasuke smirked at the easy kill. Leaping down, Sasuke took a Taijutsu stance with a kunai in each hand, held in a reverse grip.

"Interesting Doujutsu you have there…" Kakashi said from behind the first man to speak, who let out a yelp of surprise. Kiba, Sakura, and Akamaru landed nearby. "I know a man who will be interested in studying it."

* * *

Hinata was doing her usual morning training in one of the many dojos in the Shell layer of the village, sparring against her clones. Her Jyuuken was vastly improving, though she was sure it was nowhere near the level she was capable of. As much as she hated to admit it, it was lacking the refinement necessary to be as lethal as possible.

Though she tried hard to target tenketsu nodes while in combat, she was still unable to do it with any reliable accuracy. She was missing a master of Jyuuken to teach her her clan's combat style and jutsu… and so she had to rely on her negative chakra type to excel as a kunoichi and Kage of Kaimugakure.

Finishing her morning katas, she sat in a meditative position while contemplating the mission they sent some of the Berserker clan on, including Gin.

"Why did you send those buffoons when your loyal ANBU force is here to serve your every beck and call?" roared a childish voice from a distance, but Hinata's enhanced ears were able to pick it up easily. Curious, Hinata stepped outside the dojo and hopped from roof to roof silently, until she hid behind an exposed girder in one of the many towers being built in the shell. Peeking around, she watched the scene below.

Naruto stood in a pensive pose, arms crossed, staring at a squad of the ANBU children that knelt before him. Inari, in his Ferret mask, was currently emphasizing every point of his argument with movement of his body. "We train every day, harder than anyone else in the village, and yet we are barely ever called upon! When will you see our usefulness?"

Naruto looked over the kneeling squad, then at Inari. He seemed to have an amused grin. "Do you think you are stronger than the Berserker clan?"

Inari froze, his arms falling back to his sides. "Utsurokage-sama, we do not believe power is everything. It is what that power is _for_ that matters. And each of us here are natives to this village! Each one of us suffered through the hardships that none of that clan knew about. Poverty stricken, we fought for our lives. Then you came, Utsurokage-sama, and saved us. We only wish to prove our undying loyalty and gratitude." He then bowed low to Naruto. "Please forgive my insolence. I only wish to convey my frustration, though I fully understand it is none of your concern. Forgive me, Lord Utsurokage!"

Naruto reached out and planted his bare hand on Inari's shoulder, his gauntlet resting in his other hand. "Inari, you don't have to prove anything yet. All you have to do is keep training hard, and keep loving this village. For now, that is enough."

"Yes, Utsurokage-sama," Inari replied promptly, standing up straight. "All right, men, move out!" And then in a flash of movement, the squad was gone. To many, it would seem as if they had disappeared. But to Hinata's well honed eyes, she was able to track each of them as they left.

Hopping down from her position, she smiled at Naruto. He pulled his gauntlet back onto his hand and stared at it for a moment, flexing his fingers. "Do you think it is wrong," he asked, "for me to allow those kids to assume the roles of the elite ninja of our village, only to give that title unofficially to those that _are_ the strongest?"

Hinata cocked her head slightly, "Who's to say they aren't the strongest?"

Naruto looked up at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we both know that to become as strong as you possibly can, you have to be protecting the people you love." Hinata turned away from him, blushing slightly. "After all, I never feel stronger than when I am around you."

"I still feel like I'm leading them on… giving them false hope," Naruto said miserably, causing Hinata to turn back in his direction. He slowly sat against an unfinished structure, which would be a future apartment building.

Hinata shook her head disbelievingly, "Let me tell you the story of this orphan I knew that left his village with only a friend and a dream. He never gave up, always aspired to accomplish his goals, and fought with every ounce of his strength for what he believed in. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, the Kage of the Village Hidden by Nothing, creator of many jutsu as well as nearly the exclusive user of a previously unknown chakra type. You tell me: was he lead on by believing in himself?"

Naruto allowed himself a small smile. "Sounds like a great guy."

Grinning, Hinata said, "Yeah, but he gets a big head sometimes."

Rising to his feet and nodding to himself, Naruto looked Hinata in the eyes. Staring into those wonderfully blue orbs, Hinata felt her cheeks warm despite herself. "Thanks, Hinata. Really, I needed that."

She only gave him a single nod and her best smile, not trusting herself to say anything. She didn't want to ruin her streak of not stuttering.

* * *

Asuma stared down at Team Seven, pondering this new information. Kakashi knows of someone who is interested in kekkai genkai? Was Kaimu trying to make up for a lack of power in a turbulent world of war by manufacturing doujutsu, as others had tried to do? Either way, Asuma squatted in a pensive crouch as they removed the eyes of the still living rain nin. The young man writhed on the ground, blind, cursing Konoha. Kakashi sealed the eyes into a scroll, then stared down at the enemy for a moment.

"Well, I suppose the cat isn't quite out of the bag yet," Kakashi said tonelessly as he flipped through his Bingo book. "I'm with Kaimugakure now." Not finding an entry for any of the team at his feet, he ended the blind man's life with a flick of his wrist. A pool of blood spread from the man's head, where the hilt of a kunai poked out. "Move out."

Asuma watched the dead team for a while before pursuing Kakashi's cell. He didn't like the fact that they were prepared to leave a trail of blood on the way to Ame. After all, he was told this was to be a recon mission, not an assault. Grimacing, Asuma planted himself flat against the trunk of the tree he landed on, just as Team Seven stopped once more.

"Sasuke, what you did was foolish," Kakashi said heatedly, and Asuma could easily imagine his one visible eye glaring at the boy. "We're not here to test your strength, or your Sharingan. We're here to discover what is happening with Amegakure and to find out any information that could prove useful. Got it? No more surprise attacks."

"They knew we were there," Sasuke said defensively. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Wait for orders from me, or to follow my lead. I was preparing a Genjutsu to put them into a coma like state. It doesn't matter now; what's done is done, and can't be undone. Just remember what I said."

Asuma wanted to sigh heavily at that point. Was Kakashi playing dumb, or did he really not know that Amegakure, like nearly every hidden village, was most likely protected by a barrier seal which detected any intruders? Or was this mission about to turn ugly… on purpose? With a frown on his face, Asuma couldn't help but question Kakashi's motives.

As Team Seven moved once more, Asuma dutifully trailed them without a sound. He was certain Kakashi had already detected him, and that the speech he had just given was more for his benefit than Sasuke's. If that were true, what exactly was going on here?

He had informed the Leaf of the mission, but only in the barest of details. Did he know more than what he was letting on, or was he holding out on the Leaf on orders of the Utsurokage? Would that Uzumaki boy be that perceptive?

Then again, Kakashi could just be pulling a Kakashi. That is, confusing everyone to the point that only the Hatake could say what was actually happening.

It wasn't long before they came across another team, this time a slightly more skilled unit. Asuma observed passively as each of the four men were taken out, but none killed. Kakashi congratulated his team on the successful disarming of the team, especially Sasuke's control of his need to kill. This earned a chuckle from Kiba, and a glare from Sasuke.

Asuma dogged the team a couple miles more before a Jounin lead squad, consisting of two Chuunins, appeared. Team Seven scattered once more, and Asuma hid once more. He peeked around the tree to look more closely at the team.

"Come out, intruder filth." The Jounin said through his mask. His arms and hands were encased in a thick gold plating, which made a _plink plink plink_ sound as rain hit them. The two Chuunin standing behind him seemed to be twins, as both had the same features. One was female with her hair cut to shoulder length, styled with streaks of dark purple accenting the black color. With matching lipstick and eyes, she was an unusual sight, but very pretty. Her brother had the same hair and eyes, with the only distinguishing feature to separate him from his twin was the scar on his chin. They both looked scared, but determined.

"You caught us," Kakashi said pleasantly, dropping in front of them. His team stayed hidden. "So, I'm afraid I cannot allow you to live." He then charged head on at the enemy team, causing the twins to flinch. The Jounin stood his ground, thrusting his arms outward, forming a seal in each hand.

As Kakashi closed in, a kunai in hand, the enemy Jounin brought the two seals together, screaming, "Storm Style: Lightening Rain no Jutsu!" and suddenly, every raindrop in the area was connected in one stream of electricity. And then the world ignited.

* * *

Kakashi observed from far off, his team behind him watching in awe. He now knew his idea to send a shadow clone in first was a smart idea. "This, team, is what is called dodging a kunai. We got lucky we weren't in the area of that Jutsu, otherwise we'd be toast." That was what worried him most. Did Asuma continue tracking them to their new location, or had he been too focused on the enemy shinobi? He could only hope for the best, while preparing for the worst.

"That jutsu means that those three were most likely water clones, so the real threat is in hiding. Kiba, scout that area on the off chance it was a suicide mission meant to kill us. Sasuke, Sakura, provide cover for Kiba. I'll find the enemy." With his orders given, the three Genin took off. Kakashi let the First Hokage's gift of power overwhelm him, activating the special Sharingan in both of his eyes.

Standing there with his eyes closed, Kakashi wasn't surprised when the Jounin spoke up from what seemed to be a few trees away. "The infamous Hatake Kakashi. I knew something was fishy when you charged at my clones like that."

Opening his eyes, he immediately zeroed in on the man with the peculiar arm guards. "I don't believe I've heard of you, I'm afraid. No matter; no one else will, either." As he spoke, his right hand lit up with a charging Raikiri. The opposing man roared with laughter.

"I may not be well known, but if you were smart, you'd consider that a dangerous implication." He brought his arms up in a guard stance. "Come and get me!"

Kakashi charged with a speed even he found unnerving. In a split second, he was plunging his right hand straight into the arm guards, which were pressed together before the man's chest. Kakashi's suspicions were confirmed as the lightning-based Raikiri attack dissipated into the gold plating. A kick shot out from the man, but Kakashi was already maneuvering behind the rain shinobi.

Kakashi's eyes tracked the man's movements, also able to see how his chakra was being distributed, and saw that he was about to perform the same Jutsu. Kakashi retreated immediately.

A raucous laughter erupted from Kakashi's opponent, his head thrown back. "Fooled the all-seeing Kakashi, eh? Looks like my little jutsu is too much for you to handle, even as a threat."

Kakashi only responded by unleashing a jutsu he had been preparing while the other Jounin was talking, calling out, "Chidori!" Then leapt at him with all the speed he could muster.

The rain-nin's eyes squinted in fury as Kakashi seemingly appeared before him, before he could even react. Just as Kakashi's hand plummeted through the man's sternum, he formed the seals in his two hands. "I'll take you with me... you white-haired bastard!" He screamed, blood dripping from the filters in his mask. Kakashi looked up at him with a horror-stricken face. As the Ame ninja brought his hands together, he noticed movement in the tree far off to his right. As his hands came together, he saw it was Kakashi, waving goodbye. And then the world ignited for a second time.

Kakashi saw the flash of chakra-enhanced lightning separate the atoms in the rain drops, using the hydrogen for fuel, turning each droplet of water into the equivalent of an explosive tag. He saw the Jutsu with his enhanced Sharingan, storing it in his vast library of ninjutsu.

Turning his head, he wondered how his team was doing against those two Chuunin.

* * *

"Brother," the young woman asked, her back pressed against her sibling, "is this it?" She was bleeding heavily from a wound to her side, and she clutched at it tenderly. Her left eye was blinded from a forehead wound, as she was bleed profusely, so she had to turn her head side to side to be sure to have full vision.

"No," he said firmly. "I will not let it end like this. We have to get back to Pein, warn him of-" but whatever he was about to say died in his throat as blood gurgled from his mouth. His sister gasped and turned to see just what had happened, but was taken down from behind. Collapsing onto her front, she managed to reach a hand behind herself and feel several shuriken protruding out of her back.

With her world fading to black fast, all she could do was stare desperately at her brother's twitching body. A kunai stuck out from his back, buried deep enough to where only the loop of the handle could be seen. The horror of the sight sent a jolt of pain through the female twin, just as a wave of dismay filled her up until it leaked out of her eyes.

Tears sparkled down her face in the flashes of lightning, giving her the inspiration she needed. Managing a small smile at the frozen face of pain that was her brother's expression, she stared deep into his fearful eyes.

With the last ounce of her strength, the female Chuunin gripped her brother's hand into a hold she knew would be final. With one twist of her fingers, she created a seal between the grasping hands and closed her eyes. "Together." A near inaudible grunt gave her all the acknowledgement she needed.

Without the transistors needed to accompany this jutsu, she knew it would be her final act. For a brief moment, the rain froze in a flash of light… each droplet glowing bright white. _But, _she thought, _what a glorious way to go._

* * *

Asuma crawled along in the mud, the chakra burns he was suffering from were nearly enough to cause him to lose consciousness from the pain. He had been far enough from the explosion to avoid being electrocuted, but the second act was more than enough. The explosion threw him like a rag doll, the flaring chakra cracking his flesh. The shockwave of the jutsu sent him crashing through tree branches, bouncing across the muddy terrain, only to finally come to rest on a cluster of hard rocks.

But he was alive, and cursing himself for being such an idiot.

Yet, he wondered, how could he have known? He had never heard of such a jutsu, let alone knew how to prepare for it. In hindsight, he could see why Kakashi had been so cautious. He knew it had been a clone; something to sacrifice to gain valuable knowledge on the enemy. If Asuma had known that the enemy was packing some insanely powerful jutsu, he would have given the initial fight a wide berth.

As it was, he knew he was unable to continue with the mission. He had managed to crawl off the extremely painful rock bed, through the underbrush, and was attempting to find asylum with Team Seven. He didn't know what to tell them, only that it was his only option. His father had told him to be careful, and he had done as he was ordered. He tracked them, was quite sure Kakashi was aware of him, and was now trying to play it safe.

But today just was not Asuma's day.

Breaching a thick tangled wall of vegetation, Asuma fell into a semi-clear area that bore signs of combat. Scorched plants along the mushy ground, downed trees, and logs where replacement jutsus had taken place. And in the middle of it all were the two Chuunin twins he had seen earlier, seemingly holding hands in their dying moments.

Asuma caught brief glimpses of the three Genin of Team Seven among the trees as they retreated, causing him to glance back at the downed rain-nin before him. Between them, a seal was formed.

His danger meter going off like a thousand Chidoris, Asuma, in his most desperate state of mind, attempted a Shunshin.

* * *

Another explosion alerted Kakashi to the first place he should look for his students. It seemed to him like a less powerful version of the Jounin's technique, as well as less refined. As he arrived on the scene, blue fires surrounded what seemed to be the black imprints of what once were two bodies.

Examining the environment in the blast zone, he couldn't make out any other bodies. Seeing this as a good sign, he thought perhaps the mission was going according to plan. The Chuunin were eliminated, proving to Amegakure that they were a threat. The enemy Jounin should be well on his way to his village by now, on his last legs, with only one thing in mind: Sasuke Uchiha was with the attacking group.

After Kakashi had found the semi-conscious man, his arms a melted, mangled mess, he knew that was the opportunity he had been waiting for. The Chidori his lightning clone had delivered was deliberately a non-fatal wound, though it had looked gruesome from afar. The extreme heat of the Jutsu cauterized the wound, and the charred body of the Jounin seemed like a perfect candidate. Forcing his newest eye technique into play, he stared into the man's eyes. Synapses fired viciously before burning out, internal body temperature rose. Those were the only physical signs that the man had been brain-wiped.

He was now a walking vegetable, as close to death as possible without being immobile, repeating two words over and over. "Sasuke Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha." He was sure that the village would get the message. Whatever happened next…

Hatake Kakashi shrugged then. He would let fate decide. That was his mission. Invade Amegakure, reak havoc on any teams they found, and then relay the message "Sasuke Uchiha." The only part left was to receive the response.

Hopping down from his perch, Kakashi slowly made his way to the shadow of remains of the two dead Chuunin. They were only the first casualties in a coming war. A war, Kakashi hoped, that would end all wars. But who would be the victor? With so many different sides at play, he wasn't even sure who the pawns in this game were.

"Kakashi-sensei!" called Kiba, running up to the man. "We found him hanging from a branch… he's hurt real bad, Kakashi-sensei." And then the Inuzuka's nose scrunched up. "He reeks of blood and… burnt meat."

A grunt came from Sasuke, who threw an accusing look Kiba's way. "You're one to talk of what smells bad, mutt." Kiba's scowl didn't even faze the former Uchiha.

Kakashi shook his head slowly. Asuma was a great ninja, although he often had trouble sensing traps. With a heavy sigh, Kakashi knew he now had to make a decision. Konoha was much closer to their current position than Kaimu, yet he could see the best chance for a full recovery would come from Tsunade. As far as Kakashi knew, she wasn't currently on call. Where would she return to first? Kaimu or Konoha?

"Kakashi-sensei, what do we do?" Sakura said, biting her lip nervously.

"Kiba, take Asuma back to Konoha. Get him to the hospital as soon as possible. But try to keep a low profile. Not all of Konoha is in the know of what's really going on with the Harunos and Inuzuka. Let's try to keep it that way for now." Kakashi could see Kiba wanted to stay, and was a little anxious about returning to Konoha.

"When you're sure that Asuma is in safe hands, inform the Hokage that you'll be heading to Kaimu. Tell him that I will do all I can to see that Tsunade is sent home."

Kiba accepted his orders immediately, making Kakashi proud. "Let's go, Akamaru!" and then he leapt into a tree, his puppy not far behind. Kakashi summoned a nindog and quickly scrawled out a message on a spare scroll, attaching it to the neck of the dog.

"Take that to Kaimu, ASAP," Kakashi said urgently. The dog nodded loyally, then poofed from existence. "Let's go… we have a mission to finish."

* * *

Naruto stood atop the tallest tower in the Shell layer of village, staring out at the vast forest of trees. Somewhere far off from the village, a storm was brewing.

Hinata morphed from a slice of dark matter, taking her place at his side.

"It's been a few days," Naruto began, "and I can't help but wonder what's going on with Kakashi and his squad."

"They must have reached Ame hours ago, if not last night," Hinata commented.

"They could be fighting Itachi at this very moment…" Naruto added darkly.

"Or legions of rain ninja, determined to eradicate the foreign intrusion," Hinata stated stoically.

Naruto looked over at his female counterpart in surprise. In so many ways, they were alike. But it was times like these that he knew she had to be different. She had to be his voice of reason, his glove to his iron fist. Yet, of all the things she could have said, of all the comforting, meaningless things, she had said what hear needed to hear. The truth. Responding soberly, he said simply, "Or that, yeah." He looked back out in the direction of Amegakure.

Hinata turned toward the most precious person in her life, the wind slightly rustling his hair, and knew without a doubt that she would rather die than live without him. She didn't know what brought such strong feelings on, or why she was suddenly voicing so many truths, to herself as well as Naruto. But standing there, watching Naruto gaze absently- yet with a tinge of concentration- into oblivion, she knew there was now another goal in her life.. She had to keep him safe. Through hell or high water, she now felt such a deep sense of protection for the boy that she would willingly give her life for him.

"Naruto…" Hinata said, unsure of exactly what she was going to say next.

"Yeah?" he turned those big, blue eyes on her.

Suddenly losing the courage she had mustered up, she fell back on her contingency plan. "Dinner's ready."

Smiling widely, Naruto stretched his arms and folded them behind his head. "You always know just how to cheer me up, Hinata-chan."

* * *

Sasuke hopped along behind his sensei, with Sakura trailing him. The fights of the day did nothing but fuel his confidence in his Sharingan. He had easily predicted the Chuunin's movements, and was able to evacuate his team to a safe distance before the suicide twins could finish them off.

They had even saved a Konoha Jounin from certain death, thanks to Kiba's keen sense of smell.

Yet, all the accomplishments of the day were rendered pointless in only a few seconds.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the area for a split-second. Sasuke saw nothing, but Kakashi halted his team with one hand sign. Then Sasuke saw his biggest fear, his most hated enemy, and the person he had loved the most in his life at one point.

A figure in a large overcoat, decorated in red clouds, stood on the tree before Team Seven. Lightning flashed once more, but all the light seemed to be reflected by the Sharingan in the man's eyes, giving them a menacing glow. Two definitive features ran from the bridge of his nose in a slant, ending halfway down his cheek bones. The fringe of his hair curtained each side of his face… the face of Sasuke's nightmares.

"Hatake Kakashi. Your intrusion on this land is a most annoying occurrence, and I must ask you to leave. I do this as homage to your sensei, to whom I owe my life. Should you not accept my offer, I will consider that debt paid and your life void."

Sasuke's old hate boiled up inside him. After all these years, Itachi didn't even acknowledge his presence. After all this time, that bastard didn't even care to look his way!

"Itachi!" roared Sasuke.

"Am I to take it you are forfeiting your last chance to leave?" Itachi inquired emotionlessly.

"Look at me…" Sasuke whispered, staring intently at his brother.

"Yes or no?" Itachi asked with an air of finality.

"Look at me," Sasuke repeated, more loudly. His fists were clenched.

"Answer me, Hatake Kakashi."

"Look at me!" screamed Sasuke, launching himself at his brother. He was stopped short by a painful catch around the midriff by Kakashi.

Itachi's eyes, with their large Sharingan orbs, slowly drifted to Sasuke's own Sharingan eyes. When their gazes met, Itachi didn't even blink, but Sasuke writhed in the crook of Kakashi's arm.

"Hello, little brother."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the 20th chapter of A Village of Nobodies, brought you in readable format by Djinn Crimsora. And to all who have reviewed, thank you for taking time out to do so!**


	21. Good and Bad News

"Hello, little brother."

Sasuke roared in anger and pain. How dare he call him his brother? Such bonds had been severed years ago when he… he…

"Itachi, we are not here to cause trouble," Kakashi said, derailing Sasuke's train of thought. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Sasuke barely noticed the rain slow to a halt.

"You have an odd way of conveying that massage, Hatake-san." Itachi's expressionless gaze zeroed in on Kakashi once more, whose head was turned with his right eye gleaming with the power of the Sharingan. "Your eye…"

"That is partially why I have come. You see, Kaimugakure needs your assistance."

Sasuke pulled himself free of Kakashi's hold, staring at his sensei with wide eyes. "What the hell is going on here, Kakashi?"

"And why would I help that insect that calls itself a village?" Itachi asked, his face not showing the least bit of curiosity.

"For your brother." Kakashi said simply.

And then every negative feeling that Sasuke harbored deep inside his heart since his brother's massacre of the Uchiha burst forth. With a choked gurgle of rage, Sasuke's entire body tensed. Every muscle contracted, hardening to steel. When his eyes opened, his full fledged Sharingan glared with burning intensity, seemingly at Kakashi and Itachi at the same time.

"What the hell is going on here?" Sasuke asked no one in particular.

"Sasuke," Sakura began from behind the enraged boy, "calm down. Trust Kakashi-sensei."

"No!" Sasuke spat, turning his glare on Sakura. "He tricked us, Sakura. Don't you see? He brought us here on a suicide mission to kill that… that bastard!" He stretched out an accusing finger in Itachi's direction.

Kakashi's face conveyed a decent amount of surprise, giving Sasuke confirmation of what he suspected. "Sasuke…" he began, only to be interrupted by Itachi.

"I see. Well, here I am, little brother. If you think you are strong enough. If you think you _hate_ me enough."

Not even stopping to think the situation through, Sasuke leaped at the last remaining Uchiha… only to be caught at the ankle, then dangled dozens of feet in the air.

"Sasuke, this is no time for foolish behavior," Kakashi seethed, clutching the thrashing Berserker. Sasuke contorted his body until he was able to look Kakashi in the eyes. The world darkened briefly, then Sasuke's body went limp.

He was paralyzed. His eyes stared openly, the ability to shut them long gone. Kakashi gently laid the former Uchiha across the branch.

"Itachi, you have a choice. I hope you make the right one." Kakashi's voice floated down to Sasuke, but the Genin's senses were beginning to dull.

"I've made my choice," Itachi's cool voice spoke. Without warning, the world went black.

* * *

"Sasuke!" screamed Sakura, rushing forward, only to be caught by Kakashi's firm hand over her upper arm. She couldn't believe it. Without the slightest sign of intent, Itachi's kunai had appeared from nowhere and pierced Sasuke's skull. Now blood dripped down the light brown branch, and Sakura's eyes welled up with bitter tears.

"You bastard!" she cried, lunging again, but Kakashi's grip was steel. Her wet hair splattered back down to her face after being dislodged by her momentum, her angry tears mixing with the cold water her hair had retained.

"I see." Kakashi's voice was even colder than Itachi's had been. "Then we'll be leaving."

"That would be advisable," Itachi said slowly, his large Sharingan orbs staring only into Sakura's desperate gaze. Sakura couldn't take her eyes away from his Sharingan, until Kakashi gently began pulling her back. Her demeanor solidified into the very essence of fury.

"I will kill you, Uchiha Itachi. Then I'm going to revive you and kill you again. Do you hear me?" Sakura roared, actually resisting Kakashi's tug.

Itachi looked over her, seeming to size her up. Cocking his head to the side, examining her, he finally displayed the first facial expression that Sakura had seen on the man. A smirk of satisfaction.

"I don't think you can. I don't think you possess that sort of _power_. That amount of _hatred._"

Then the world was a blur of green as Kakashi carried her, leaping through the trees back to Kaimu. The rain poured down once more in a furious torrent of wind and water.

"Why, Kakashi-sensei, why?" Sakura sobbed, burying her face into his chest. The steady shifting of weight that came with his jumping did little to soothe her aching chest or prevent the world from crashing in on her.

"I would like to know that myself. This is all wrong…" he confided, picking up the pace. He was going much faster than they had while coming into Rain Country.

"His b-body," Sakura moaned.

"Itachi wouldn't have let us take it. I suspect he wanted Sasuke for his eyes." Kakashi's voice carried a mixture of anger and determination that Sakura had never before heard from her lazy sensei.

"I _will_ kill h-him," Sakura said, finally wiping her face with her hand. She looked up at her sensei's face, which looked briefly down at her.

"Then you'll have to get stronger."

* * *

Naruto pumped his chakra into the large sphere, which was about twice his size, and immediately felt the synthetic chakra networks burst under the pressure. Frustrated, Naruto punched the giant glass orb, sending a rippling wave of cracks across half its diameter. Pulling his gnarled hand from the small hole he had made, Naruto cradled the profusely bleeding appendage to his chest.

Hinata warped into existence beside him, atop the chakra tower. He let her take his hand into her own, not even noticing the pain as she gently picked the glass shards out.

"Something's wrong," he grumbled, his gaze shifting beyond what lay before him.

"The design must have a flaw," she commented simply, intent on her work.

"No, something else. I… I just don't know what."

She pulled some gauze from the pouch at her hip, which she had taken to carrying around lately. Naruto's self destructive impulses had been increasing. After she finished bandaging him, she took the hand into both of her own and brought it to her cheek.

"Naruto, whatever is bothering you… I just want you to know… That… I, well…"

"Utsurokage-sama!" hailed Inari, now crouching atop the wrecked sphere. "Lord Jiraiya has returned. He wishes to see you."

"Thanks, Inari. Tell him I'll be in the Kage Tower in five minutes."

"Hai, Utsuokage-sama!" The ANBU boy cried, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto smiled as he watched where Inari had disappeared to, and tracked his movements until he was out of sight.

"That kid… reminds me a lot of me. He's really working hard, isn't he?" Naruto turned to Hinata, who now had a downtrodden look. She had dropped his hand when Inari appeared. "What's wrong?"

"I… Nothing. We should go," and she disappeared into a purple-black abysmal portal.

Frowning at the spot where Hinata disappeared, Naruto used the same technique.

When Naruto morphed back into existence in his office in the Kage Tower, a canine was waiting for him, sitting on its haunches.

"Yo," barked the big bulldog, his fat tail thumping a beat on the floor. "I've got a bone ta pick with ya."

Eyeing the dog warily, Naruto's mind filled with all sorts of scenarios for one of Kakashi's ninken showing up. All of them were bad. "O…kay?" he answered simply. Looking over at Hinata, Naruto noticed she was looking intently at a scroll, presumably brought by the dog.

"I had ta run all through this stinkin' village, 'cause my summoning techniques ain't workin'. What gives?" The bulldog sat there seriously, questioning Naruto with its large eyes. It's voice was unsurprisingly deep and gruff, carrying an accusing overtone. Ignoring the dog's complaints, Naruto made his way over to the Hyuuga Utsurokage.

"What's happened?"

While still staring at the scroll, Hinata answered, "A Jounin from Konoha was injured by some Amegakure ninja. Kiba's taking him to Konoha, and Kakashi wants us to try and get Tsunade to attend to him." She bit her lip then.

"Nothing else?" Naruto asked, a little disappointed, but relieved. It was bad news, but at least no one had died. Was that what was bothering him? He hoped so.

"No. That's all." She rolled the scroll up, and then placed it on the desk. Looking back up at Naruto, Hinata sighed. "I was so worried… I had to open it immediately."

"I understand," Naruto shrugged.

"Hey, wise guy, I'm still here. You and I need ta talk about this runnin' business. I ain't no ordinary messenger dog. I'm a mean, lean, killin' machine. I eat mutts like you fer breakfast, get it?"

Naruto laughed.

"Hey, what's so funny?"

"You… lean," he choked out.

Growling, the dog dropped down into the trapdoor. Soon afterwards, Jiraiya's white mane poked through.

"We need to talk, Naruto."

Making his way behind his desk, with Hinata at his side, Naruto sighed, "You and everyone else."

"Hey, don't get smart, kid." The Toad Sage scolded, pulling himself up and then helping the next two into the room as well, taking the pig for Shizune as she climbed.

Naruto chuckled nervously, "Er, sorry about leaving you in Tea Country and all…"

She stared at him blankly then took her pet back from Jiraiya. Naruto supposed she was still sore about the incident.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's get down to business." Naruto said formally.

"Yes, let's," spoke Jiraiya. "We have a bit of a problem…"

"Yeah," the young Tsunade growled, her arms crossed. "You broke my apprentice."

Raising his eyebrows, Naruto looked at Shizune with a renewed interest. She stared blankly back at him.

"What do you mean?" Naruto demanded, tired of being accused for every small detail of everything.

"Look at her!" Tsunade pointed, "She hasn't talked the entire way here. When we found her, she was working off a debt to that tea house that you destroyed!" (1)

"That _I_ destroyed?" Naruto roared incredulously. "You punched me through the wall!"

"Hmph," the young Sannin grunted, "I should have done more. Oh, poor Shizune…"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Naruto called, throwing out his hands, palms open. "What makes you think this is my fault at all?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in his direction. "She was fine before you barged into our lives. How's that?"

"Correlation does not mean causation," Naruto chided, holding a finger up knowingly. Hinata giggled at his side.

"Well, brat, what do _you_ think happened? Hmm?" Tsunade growled.

"I think… I think…" Naruto paused, then looked around the room. Everyone waited in anticipation. "Well, I don't know, exactly, but it can't be my fault!"

Tsunade smacked her forehead angrily, glaring at him from between her fingers. "I don't care how it happened. I care that it happened. And now, I want you to fix it."

Naruto studied Shizune for another moment, trying to decipher any clue as to what happened to her. She only stared around blankly, clutching her pig to her chest. Finally, Naruto deflated into his office chair and shrugged. "We have more pressing concerns. A Konoha ninja by the name of…" Naruto picked up the scroll from his desk and stared at it for a moment, his eyebrows shooting up. "Sarutobi… Asuma. The old man's son?"

"What's that, kid?" Jiraiya inquired, stepping forward. Naruto tossed him the scroll.

"It's the first and only information we've received from Team Seven after I sent them on their mission. Asuma is injured and requires special medical attention. The _best_ medical attention." Naruto looked pointedly at Tsunade.

She only glared back, then folded her arms. "Why should I help?"

Jiraiya put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him in surprise. Naruto could tell it still irked her that she was so much weaker and smaller than Jiraiya, now that she was now biologically twelve again. "Because, pig tails, he's our sensei's son."

She grunted again, and looked like she was about to shrug off his hand. But she didn't, and only sighed. "Fine. I'll help. Maybe I can consult with the medic nin there about my apprentice."

Smiling brightly, Naruto thanked her. She glared him down again. "I'm not doing it for you, brat. Don't think that just cause you gave me what every woman dreams of, doesn't mean you and I are on good terms. You got your payment… And by the way, I hope you keep that Hatake man in check. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, neh?"

She then turned and headed for the trapdoor, grabbing Shizune's hand as she went. Naruto looked up at his sensei, a look of anguish on his face. "I keep causing trouble for you, huh, old man?"

"Yeah, kid, you do," Jiraiya sighed. "I'll go watch over them as we prepare to leave for Konoha. Keep your nose clean." With that, he turned and left.

Naruto glanced up at Hinata on his left, and she looked back at him. At that moment, a chakra hawk flew in from the above trapdoor, dropped a scroll on his desk, then evaporated.

Naruto grimaced, "More good news, I'm guessing?"

* * *

Kiba looked on at his charge, who was now nearly completely covered in gauze. Every few hours, the nurse would come in, change the bandages and reapply an ointment that was supposed to keep his skin alive and prevent damage until he could be healed by a more skillful healer. Unfortunately, it was very painful and even the morphine barely dulled the pain down, as Kiba could smell the discomfort. (2)

He could also smell the burning odor of the ointment, the charred flesh that made up much of Asuma's body, the stereotypical anesthetic smell of a hospital, and he could even smell the determination of the man to pull through this.

"Kid… thanks," the man croaked, his eyes opening. Most of his face had been spared from the worst of the burns, as he had contorted into a ball while performing the shunshin.

"No problem," Kiba replied firmly, petting Akamaru's head, which poked out of his jacket. "I'm sorry things turned out this way."

Though it must have pained him, he managed a chuckle. "Honestly…" he groaned, "with all things…" he swallowed briefly, then sucked on a straw that hung down next to his lips. The nurses had said it was filled with a highly nutritious fluid that would hydrate him better than even water could. He finally continued, "… considered, I came out on top. I… didn't know if I was going to make it."

Kiba examined the man, fidgeting slightly. He was in his home village, and it felt more uncomfortable than ever. He was a deserter, a defector, perhaps even a traitor. Yet… that was an S-class secret. How much did this man know about him and his village? About the clan migration? Kiba considered the fact that he happened to be the Hokage's son, so was most likely better informed than other ninja. Add to that the fact that he was chosen to assist on Team Seven's mission only reaffirmed that belief.

On the way to Konoha, Asuma had filled Kiba in on the details of his mission. He was delirious from pain and dangerously dehydrated, yet he continued to spill everything he knew to the boy. Why? Was it because he believed he would die, and there was no point in hiding his reasons for being there?

"Something… wasn't right. I could feel it," the man struggled on, determined to stay awake and speaking. Kiba watched his body twitch from beneath the white sheets. It began to look more like a shiver. "When I was assigned…" another long draw from the straw," the mission, I knew something would happen. But that's my duty. To do what is needed, despite my own… inhibitions." He clenched his teeth for a moment, then sighed. "Damn, I could use a smoke."

Staring at the man in surprise, Kiba actually let out a mall bark of laughter.

"Heh, I guess… that is kind of ironic, huh?"

"Asuma-sensei!" screeched a blond blur that dived straight for the helpless man. Just before the blur smashed into the injured man, it was restrained by a very large boy with a swirling tattoo on both cheeks.

"Ino!" Chouji yelped, as she thrashed in his arms, "you can't do that! Look at him!"

"Let me go, fatso! I'm gonna beat the crap out of him for leaving us like that!" Ino commanded, but the large boy steeled his grip despite her demand. She only thrashed harder as tears began spilling from her cheeks. "Sensei, why?"

A voice spoke up then to answer, "Ino, it's not his fault. We can't pick and choose our missions, you know that."

Kiba looked up to see Nara Shikamaru leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, and staring intently at his feet.

"But he could have brought us!" Ino sobbed, finally going limp. Chouji held on for only a few more seconds, before finally deeming her to not be a threat. She collapsed to her knees at his bedside, and looked up at her sensei with tears still spilling forth. "Don't do that ever again, sensei."

Asuma smiled at her, then looked at his other two students. "What…" he struggled, "would I ever do… without you three to keep me safe?" He managed another painful chuckle.

"Children, you should wait outside. Asuma and I need to speak," a cool female voice spoke from the doorway, and Kiba looked to see a tall brunette with striking red eyes. His jaw nearly dropped at her sheer beauty. He couldn't even take offense at being called a child, so stricken was he by her loveliness. Silently, the four Genin complied with her wishes. When they were all out the door, it closed behind them.

"What's up with that?" Chouji asked, rummaging through the pouch at his hip, presumably for a snack.

Ino clapped her hands together, a knowing smile on her face. "Romance, Chouji. Ooey-gooey, sticky, fluffy-"

"Oh kami, please stop," Shikamaru groaned, covering his ears and walking away. Ino followed, continuing to provide the sappiest descriptions of love she could. Chouji trailed behind them, munching contentedly on a mouthful of chips.

Left alone in the hallway, Kiba sat down on an empty gurney to listen in on the conversation in the room. Using his clan's techniques, he enhanced his hearing and concentrated.

Several minutes passed and there was only silence, aside from the puke-a-thon happening three rooms down. Just when he was about to give up, abandoning his plight as futile on a Jounin, he heard something.

"You came back," the woman said.

"I said I would…. Well, maybe not… in so many words."

Silence again, then Kiba could detect a near silent sobbing.

"Hey, now…" Asuma protested, "What did I tell you before I left?" (3)

"Oh, shut up, you stupid man," Kurenai laughed between sobs.

Deciding he was too curious to sit idly, Kiba snuck to the door and opened it a fraction of a hair's width. They didn't seem to notice.

"What happened?" She asked simply, and Kiba could tell she was grasping his left hand with both of her own.

"Well… I got my ass kicked… is the short version," and Kiba could practically hear the cheeky grin on his face.

He then went into a labored explanation of how he tracked Team Seven, got careless while observing the Amegakure team, and ended up worse for the wear because of it. He then told her of his misfortune to run into the same jutsu mere minutes later, and was in no condition to even bring himself back to the village.

"Don't worry, Kurenai," Asuma breathed, "this is nothing. I'll be… back on my feet shortly. You'll see. So, don't fret."

The woman, Kurenai, shook her head slowly, "How can I not worry? Look at you!"

"I'd rather not," Asuma chuckled again, grimacing afterwards from the pain.

"Has Lady Tsunade been sent for?" she asked, her tone dripping with concern.

"I think so… I'm sure of it. I'll be up and at 'em in no time… flat." He breathed out a long sigh, then took a long draw from his straw.

Kiba could see the woman trembling slightly, possibly crying again. "You know what I have to do. If I don't, I won't know."

Asuma seemed dismayed at whatever she was talking about, "No. This is too important for you to bother with worrying about me over. Don't waste it. There's only five left."

Kurenai shook her head again. "You know me, Asuma," she cooed, bending over him, her lips inches from his. "My womanliness prevents me from being as hard and brave as the rest of you."

Asuma actually laughed hard at that, making Kurenai flinch back in surprise. Whatever pain that outburst cost him, he hid it admirably. "Kurenai, you're… probably the bravest person I know."

From the contours in her cheek, Kiba could tell she was smiling down at him, despite not seeing the front of her face.

"So don't make yourself have to be braver."

She bent over once more, her face slowly inching to his. Just as their lips brushed, Kiba could hear her breathy words, "You're worth it." And then she kissed him. A full, heartfelt kiss that, it seemed to Kiba's keen senses, relaxed Asuma's previously tense body. And then, surprisingly, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kiba blinked. A shadow clone?

* * *

Hinata and Naruto stared glumly at each other for a few moments, until finally Hinata turned away, her shoulders hiked up, her fists clenched at her sides. Naruto watched her, concerned. He felt a deep pang of guilt within himself, down in his very core, where his negative chakra seemed to dwell. If he was nothing, how could he affect the lives of others like that? If he was, indeed, as unimportant as was fundamentally necessary for his and Hinata's custom techniques, how could he have such weight in this world?

Naruto stared down at the scroll again, which he nearly tore in two on impulse. Resisting the urge, he merely cast a minor fire jutsu, destroying the scroll forever.

Uchiha Sasuke was dead. The mission was a complete and utter failure. _Naruto _was a complete and utter failure.

"Stop," Hinata whispered, drawing Naruto out of his self-deprecating trance. She turned around and looked at him intensely. "Not again," she swore. "Never again."

Naruto couldn't meet her gaze. She knew it was his fault, and now she hated him for it. Maybe she was even about to take away his position as Uts-

_Slap!_

Naruto looked up, wide-eyed, hand pressed firmly against his throbbing cheek.

"I said stop it!" she screamed, her eyes gazing intently into his. "I won't let you do this to yourself. I won't let your mistakes cloud your judgment! I won't let you hate yourself for your failures! These things happen, Naruto. And I'll be damned if I let you fall into a downward spiral like you did after the cube incident!" She stared at him, her mouth set into a determined frown.

She was right. After Naruto messed up by locking Tsunade away in another universe, or antiverse, he had completely fell apart. Every night felt like a desperate attempt to climb out of a darkness that had consumed him, and it drove him crazy. And he had done crazy things as a result.

Standing up, Naruto nodded, his jaw set. "Thanks, Hinata. I know I can count on you to always be there. I'm sorry you have to pick up the pieces every time I-"

_Slap!_

"Hinata!" Naruto whined, holding his other cheek.

"I said stop," she said pointedly, giggling.

Smiling back, Naruto nodded once. "All right, let's put this information to good use. I will not have Sasuke die in vain!" Naruto pressed the intercom button on his desk, linked directly to the secretary at the bottom of the tower. "Call in Tazuna-san. I have something I'd like to ask him."

Hinata and Naruto shared a look, then nodded at one another. "And contact Gin. Tell him it's important to report here immediately."

"Hai, Utsurokage-sama." With a small tone, the connection was broken.

"This means Itachi is not on our side… no, it means he is an enemy. Amegakure is now our primary concern in foreign affairs, and I think it's time to think this through. We've infiltrated another village, and possibly stirred up more trouble in an already crappy situation. We need to prepare for this war, Hinata. I can't see any other scenario. Things are too hot right now for hasty decisions to not lead to conflict. The only question is… who are we up against?"

Hinata's furry ears twitched for a moment, before she answered,"An ally of my ally is my ally, right? Then we know Suna is on our side, along with Konoha. But with Iwo and Suna butting heads, Kiri is soon to follow… and that could mean trouble for us."

"Their navy…" Naruto said in awe, having heard stories about their fleet. "We have to defend ourselves from naval warfare."

"And," Hinata added, "we don't have the funds to create our own fleet. What does that mean?"

"It means trouble," Gin answered, ascending from the floor. "But I have every bit of confidence in your ability to find a solution, my genius Utsurokages." He bowed deeply, grinning up at them.

Naruto and Hinata frowned, alerting Gin that this wouldn't be a pleasant visit. "What's happened?"

Naruto walked over to the man and looked him in the eyes, "Sasuke is dead. He was killed by his brother on the mission to Ame."

Gin visibly flinched, then his brow furrowed. He was speechless, and could only stand there. Naruto felt another deep pang of regret, but with a sidelong glance at Hinata, and the sting on both his cheeks still lingering, he forced himself out of the rut. "I'm sorry, Gin. Take whatever time you and your clan need to mourn the loss and host a funeral."

"But… Utsurokage-sama… will his body return home?" Gin grunted, his facial muscles completely contracted.

"I'm afraid not," was all Naruto could think to say.

"I see… Thank you, Utsurokage-sama. Lady Utsurokage." He bowed to both of them, then disappeared through the trapdoor.

Naruto stared at the spot where Gin vanished, then looked over at Hinata. He had to be strong. If not for himself and his village, then for Hinata. He didn't want her to continue to hold the weight of the entire village by herself.

"Hey! How's it going?" Tazuna called, his head popping up. Naruto grinned over at the man, beckoning him up. "These old joints of mine can barely make this climb, Utsurokage-sama, Lady Utsurokage. Perhaps you would like me to install some sort of pulley system?" He milked the old man bit quite a lot for a man as healthy as a person half his age.

"No thanks, Tazuna-san. We only require your approval on something," Hinata spoke up, a small, businesslike smile on her face.

"Ask away, Lady Utsurokage. Your wish is my command! After all, what you've done for us lowly Wave citizens is nothing short of a godsend!"

"You're too kind, Tazuna-san," Hinata laughed. Then she grew somber. "We wish to rename the Friendship Bridge to the Memorial Bridge, and begin carving the names of fallen shinobi on its planks, in order for all who cross it to know who protected this village."

Tazuna ran a hand through his gray beard, before smiling brightly, "I think that's a great idea. No, better than a great idea." He scratched his balding head. "I just can't think of a good enough word to describe it," he laughed.

"Thank you, Tazuna-san!" Naruto and Hinata rang out in unison, earning another laugh from the old man.

"I better get back to work in the Shell. Lots of construction still going on!" He waved briefly, before he, too, was gone.

"He's right," Naruto stated. "Gin, I mean. It is a problem, and we have to fix it."

Hinata nodded, then began shuffling papers around on the desk. Usually a few clones would work in the office on the more mundane affairs, and the original Naruto and Hinata would take care of the more important decisions. So, between them, they always knew what was happening within the village. And what was happening now was a budget that barely stayed balanced.

"We've avoided accruing any debt thus far from investing our own money into businesses and construction," Hinata stated dryly. She and Naruto owned nearly half of all businesses in the village, and had investments in eighty percent of the rest. "And taxation from sells keeps our construction budget barely stable. If we need to start preparing defenses on our waterfront, we may need to get a loan…"

Naruto grimaced. He didn't want to rely on another village to make his own village stronger.

"We'll have to find a way to deal with it," he stated simply. "A loan is a last resort. Now, let's talk about something less depressing. Surely, out of everything bad we've heard today, something good has come up. Right?"

Biting her lip for a moment, and thinking hard, Hinata finally smiled. "Maybe," she teased. "But maybe you don't want to hear it. Hmm," she made a dramatic thinking gesture, tapping her chin with her index finger.

"Ah, come on, Hinata-chan!" Naruto whined, leaning into his heavy desk. "Tell me, tell me!"

She stalked slowly over to him, and he leaned forward, eager to hear any form of good news. She leaned forward suddenly, and her cheek brushed his, her body now pressed against his chest, and Naruto could feel her hot breath on his earlobe. He was suddenly very self conscious and his cheeks burned in a flush.

"I've wanted to tell you for the longest time," she breathed. "But it's only now that I realize, the longer I wait, the less likely I'll gather the courage to tell you."

Naruto gulped, his senses now completely filled with Hinata. He could smell the sweet fragrance of her hair, he could see the slight arch of her back as she leaned against him, he could hear her heavy breathing, he could feel her pressed tightly against himself and the tickling of his forehead from her twitching kitsune ear. Only one sense was left out.

"I love you so much, Naruto-kun, that even Kyuubi's hatred cannot compare." And with that, every one of Naruto's senses became engulfed in Hinata's essence, as her lips turned and captured his, obliterating all thought from his head and replacing his happiest moments, mostly involving ramen, with a moment of pure bliss and love that were nearly palpable.

"Oh, wow," crowed Jiraiya from across the room. "Sorry to interrupt."

Neither heard him.

* * *

**(1) Jiraiya had left money for the damages to the shop, but not enough to cover destroying half the building.**

**(2) This scene is set after this chapter in the timeline, but I felt this was the place to put it. It's not a huge difference, maybe a day, maybe a few hours. **

**(3) Asuma told Kurenai in Chapter 19, atop the village wall, that it would be a shame to see such a beautiful woman cry.**

**Well, hello there! This is probably my favorite chapter thus far, yet was probably the second hardest to write… I don't even want to think about the hardest one.**

**I hope you enjoyed the twenty-first installment of A Village of Nobodies, and I look forward to any comments you will make. And a big thanks to Djinn Crimsora for his continued beta for reading!**


	22. Revenge

As the monstrous wall of Kaimugakure loomed into sight, Sakura could only feel sadness. The days of travelling at top speed had been exhausting, but the movement kept her from thinking too much about Sasuke. Yet, now that she and her sensei had slowed to a walk as they approached the main gate of the Shell, the lump in her throat tightened and the pain in her chest worsened.

"Sasuke…" she whimpered.

Her fury at Itachi had dulled the pain at first, but now that she had had time to absorb the reality that the person she cared about most in her life was gone… she couldn't hold onto the hate enough to drown out her sorrow.

"We're almost there, Sakura. Be strong. A ninja never shows his tears, remember?" Kakashi consoled.

Sakura bit her lip and wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. _If only it were so easy as that_, she thought bitterly. She decided she wouldn't show her tears; she would show her hate. She brought Itachi's image to her mind's eye and envisioned the ways he would suffer before she ended his life. She clenched her fists as she walked, gritting her teeth. Whenever thoughts of Sasuke threatened to surface, she would punch at the air as if Itachi were before her. Kakashi didn't say a word until they were finally before the gate, staring up at its demonic visage, frightful images burned into the wood.

"It's good to see you have returned," a Naruto clone stated, giving them a solemn look. "I'm sorry for what you had to go through. Head straight for the Tower, we'll talk more there." With that, he dispelled in a puff of smoke.

The large gate seemed to open of its own accord, allowing passage for the two returning ninja. Once inside, the hellish gates lurched and moved in the opposite direction. Though construction was still going strong, Sakura could actually see the fast improvements that have been made since she left less than two weeks before. Hinata and Naruto clones were everywhere there, as usual, but other workers could be seen as well.

With a leap, Kakashi landed on a half completed tower, and then launched himself at another. Sakura followed, channeling all her focus into the movement while nurturing her hate for Itachi. Despite being exhausted, she was determined to use her rage to power her movements until she was finally able to rest. By time they entered the Outer Core, her body was on fire and her lungs were heaving, but Kakashi never let up. When they entered the village's core, Sakura thought she may pass out. Sweat drenched her beaten body and her muscles were beginning to feel as if they would fail her. But she made her way across the bridge, disregarding a few villagers as they eyed her because of what she assumed to be her scruffy appearance, covered in dirt with torn clothes. No matter, she reached the Kage Tower all the same.

They ran up its length until they were able to scale the battlements at the top. Naruto and Hinata were there waiting.

Hinata bowed deeply, and Naruto grimaced.

"Kakashi, Sakura." Naruto nodded in turn to both of them. "I'm deeply sorry for your loss. What happened… I will admit, I had thought it possible. But I never expected it. I…"

Sakura, despite being at a loss for breath, managed to speak, "Itachi…" she gasped, "is mine."

Naruto looked at her for a moment, as did the Lady Utsurokage. Hinata frowned, and Sakura could see sympathy in her pupil-less, lavender-white eyes. They did not speak. With one look at each other, they nodded.

"If you can kill him, and if the time ever comes, we will not stop you." Hinata said solemnly.

Something inside Sakura released then, and tears came unbidden to her eyes. She turned away from the Kages, sobbing silently. She had expected some sort of rebuttal. But their compliance caught her off guard, and seemed to sap the strength from the resolve that she had made to resist their refutation. But they had agreed. She was both relieved and scared. She had now sealed her fate with her declaration. She would have to get stronger. She would have to get better. For Sasuke.

* * *

When Sakura was dismissed, Naruto, Hinata, and Kakashi retired to the Utsurokage office. Naruto paced around the room restlessly as Hinata waited patiently, leaning against the curved wall. Kakashi merely waited, his visible eye gazing lazily at the male Utsurokage as he marched around. Finally, Naruto stopped.

"You're absolutely sure he killed him? Are you sure it was Sasuke, and are you sure he was dead?" Naruto looked at Kakashi with his intense, blazing blue eyes. Hinata had fallen into those eyes so many times, yet now his ferocity gave him a sense of determination. She could almost hear the gears grinding in his mind.

"Hai, Utsurokage-sama," Kakashi replied emotionlessly, though his line of vision moved to the floor and he shook his head. "My Sharingan was activated, and it was definitely Sasuke. His chakra and everything. And with the First's enhancement of my eyes… there's no doubt. Sasuke is dead. There was no life left in him."

"His body…" Naruto's fists clenched. "You left his body there-"

"Itachi wouldn't h-"

"I know, Kakashi-san. Itachi must have wanted Sasuke's eyes for himself, or for some other nefarious purpose. Dammit!" Naruto glared at the floor for a moment, then looked back up. "Sakura. Will she ever be able to kill him?"

"I…" Kakashi began, running a hand through his dirty, snow-white hair. "I can teach her how to fight the Sharingan. Teach her to fight by only looking at her opponent's feet. I will teach her everything I know about Genjutsu. I will do everything I can to make her ready."

"Yes," Naruto said softly, "but will it be enough?"

"No, Utsurokage-sama. She… lacks the ability, I must admit. She has made recent improvements, but even now her progress is too slow to ever reach the level that Itachi is on. She doesn't have a kekkai genkai, she doesn't have any secret clan techniques, and her physical abilities are only typical for a Genin. However… She is smart. Perhaps she can learn her family's trade and become a medical ninja. She would do much better in that field than in an attack squad, as my team was meant to be."

Naruto snickered, "Abilities mean nothing, Kakashi! It's a person's ambitions and will that matter! If Sakura has the willpower, she will find the strength to beat Itachi. Yet, you would have her train as a medic?"

"Naruto," Hinata said politely, smiling, "you seem to be forgetting a certain Sennin that specializes in medical jutsu. I believe she is the ultimate counterargument to your current train of thought."

Naruto turned to look at her, a sheepish smile plastered on his lips. He laughed and scratched the back of his head, "Oh, right. The old lady… who is not so old anymore." Then he blinked. "You're right, Hinata!" He suddenly yelped with delight, pumping his fist in the air. "Tsunade and Sakura can train together!"

What little of Kakashi's face that showed was cast in a shadow of doubt. "Utsurokage-sama, Lady Tsunade is not likely to take on an apprentice she doesn't even know."

"She owes me a debt," Naruto said with a foxish smile. "I did give her what she wanted most, after all."

"By accident," Hinata pointed out helpfully, stifling a giggle. "And you got the necklace in return." Naruto gave her sour look, but shrugged it off with a smile. He eyed the Shodaime's necklace, which hung around Kakashi's neck, the crystal resting against his chest atop the beaten flak jacket.

"Still," the blond Kage continued, "I think Tsunade would be better off with Sakura. I'll arrange for the two of them to be together as much as possible upon her return."

Hinata wondered about his optimistic outlook sometimes. He could be the gloomiest person at times, and yet, the most confident just a second later. It's what she loved about him: his ability to bounce back from anything. _Though that cube had proved a difficult mistake to recover from_, she thought bitterly, remembering his reclusive behavior of those times.

"We know you've had a terrible mission, Kakashi-san," Hinata spoke up, her voice as soft and kind as always. "You can deliver the details of it tomorrow. You may go rest now, and we are truly sorry for your student…"

"Thank you, Lady Utsurokage," Kakashi said with a small bow of his head. He looked at Naruto for a moment, as if her were going to say something. Instead, he only inclined his head, bid goodnight to them both, then left through the overhead trapdoor.

When the two of them were alone, Naruto sighed and plopped into his chair. Hinata joined him at the desk, staring at the place where she had declared her love for him only a couple days before. It made her blush, and she was thankful that Naruto's attention was on the papers before him.

"Tsunade reached Konoha," he observed, "and Asuma seems to be recovering with her attending him. Kiba has been dispatched to return to the village." He looked up at her, his eyes nowhere near as fierce as before. She smiled down at him.

"There's other news too, about our village. The Berserker clan grows daily, and the Harunos are working fervently with them on their Sharingan project. Genetic testing is still a required part of joining, but it seems it only takes the smallest of relationship to the Uchiha to gain membership."

Naruto sat back in his chair then and groaned. "I am all for the growth of our clans, but if the Berserkers turn out to be like the Uchiha of Konoha… But what do I know? I've never been part of a clan, or even a family… what are your thoughts about them, Hinata? You never talk of your own clan…"

_Because they're all horrible, _she thought with some animosity. But for Naruto, she put on a small smile. "My clan is… was… an exception, I think. They were not like a family at all, really." She felt her smile slipping, but didn't have the strength to play false. Not that she wanted to. Not with Naruto. Her voice grew sad as she said, "Only Hanabi had any resemblance of love in her, yet Father pitted us against each other every chance he could get. He would train us rigorously, then have us spar at the end of each training session. I… always lost," she couldn't go on, and tears came to her eyes.

"I never thought to ask," Naruto said, and she could tell he felt incredibly stupid. He knew that she disliked her clan, but she had never really talked about it with him. She didn't want to dwell on it.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun," she whispered, wiping her tears away and smiling. "Being with you makes me forget all that. I never talked about it with you because… when I'm with you… it's like all those hard times never existed." She reached down and put her hand atop his own, which rested on the armrest. He smiled his amazing smile at her, his teeth white, his happiness showing in his eyes. _Unlike Father, _she thought, _if he ever smiled, it would only be in a mocking manner. Like when he complimented me on beating Sakura in a Taijutsu match back at the academy… just before asking why I bothered telling him at all. 'Swatting flies is not a commendable feat, and neither is defeating that upstart trash. Her family shouldn't even hold the title of clan. Next time, tell me something that _should_ make me proud, daughter.'_

Her anger with the memory must have shown on her face, because Naruto asked, "What's the matter, Hinata-chan?"

She pushed the memories back into the vault of her mind and smiled at the love of her life. "Absolutely nothing."

* * *

Renzaki Zen glared out from atop his village's wall. Though the mountainous trees blocked his view, he felt he could still see the ninja in the land. Dishonorable, backstabbing, blood-craving animals that they were. It disgusted him. He loosened his katana in its scabbard, always at the ready. His honor blade sat protected in his belt that wrapped around the hardened, lacquered leather torso of his armor. His battle skirts left him great mobility, and his helmet covered him from head to neck, though his face was completely open.

He had recently been given a high ranking position in the guard, and would lead in the van when they finally attacked. The Leader had promised, when Zen led him into enlightenment. Of course, his powers were different. The Leader hadn't experienced a group enlightening, which had elevated all of Zen's original two hundred to godlike powers… and demonic madness.

Zen merely meditated with The Leader and guided him spiritually to the brink, where the power flowed generously from the unformed multiverse. And it is at that power that he stopped, and told the Leader that he had reached enlightenment. Zen had seen it in the man's eyes; a power so strong and energetic that the man could not stay still. That's when he promised Zen an honorable position, as well as command of the strongest part of the army.

Now Renzaki Zen stood on the wall, looking out into dangers unknown in the cold night, the gigantic trees muffling all sounds and lights that may have tried to escape from the bright city behind him. Samurai were efficient if nothing else, and any damage done by the ninja attack a couple months ago was now as if it had never happened.

The armories were being stocked, the smithies hammering day and night, and at every hour of the day there was a squadron of samurai being drilled in one of the many practice fields. Though the invasion depended upon the ninja warring amongst themselves, Zen knew they'd be ready for whenever that happened. It could be within a month, or in a few years, but it was inevitable at this point. Scouts reported skirmishes along ninja borders, cries for war in nearly every country, and more and more ninjas were out and about… _To show off their country's strength, of course_, Zen thought with a laugh.

It mattered not to him. When the Fourth Great Ninja War was to occur, Zen would lead the van into Fire Country. From their peninsula, which jutted out just south of Wave Country, they would be able to quickly overwhelm both Konoha and Kaimu in one fell swoop while their forces were out attacking other villages. Or, if the battle was brought to them, the samurai would hold back and let the ninja wear each other out, and creep around to the other defenseless villages.

Whatever battle they fought, it did not matter. Soon, the world would once again belong to the samurai. And then Gisougakure would finally be free to open up its gates to the world, and samurai would once again be held in esteem.

* * *

"Naruto," Hinata began warily, as she went through a Jyuuken dance as a cool down, slowly moving through the forms she learned as a child. It bothered her that she wasn't able to learn more advanced techniques, and she knew she would have to find a way around that. "Earlier you said that Tsunade-san owed you a debt. But… she said she already paid it off with her necklace, right? Well… what makes you think she will take on Sakura?"

They were training in the largest Dojo in the Shell of the village, and they had the building all to themselves. While Hinata practiced her Taijutsu techniques on one side, Naruto was currently fighting a dozen clones thirty feet away from her.

Naruto didn't pause from his swordplay, swinging the ethereal weapon in wide arcs at his clones. All of their blades were swooping and clashing, a large melee of grunts and shouts as clones popped out of existence. The blades left a smoky trail of void as they were swung. One Naruto grinned and called out, "Easy. She has to."

Hinata wrinkled her nose at his answer, shifting her feet to allow for a stronger stance as her palms struck out gracefully in slow motion. She upped her speed when she replied, "What makes you so certain, Naruto-kun?"

The grinning Naruto struck down two more clones and ducked under another sword that came from behind him, "I…" he spoke, between breathes as he slashed out, "Just… Know it!" The last clone was split in half by the extra-dimensional blade, and the weapon fizzed into nonexistence as the male Utsurokage turned to her and began to close the distance between them. "Tsunade needs to get stronger. She said as much when she woke up and found herself in a weak body. Sakura needs training and has the determination to improve drastically. The two of them are a perfect match!" He came to a stop not five feet away.

Hinata finished her Jyuuken practice and slid her feet together to stand at her full height, her arms falling to her sides. "But, what if-"

"What if, what if, what if?" Naruto asked with a laugh. "What if we had never left Konoha? What if Tsunade's rescue hadn't gone so well? What if we had never obtained the Negative Chakra? What if? What if-"

"What if we hadn't sent Team Seven on that mission," Hinata whispered, her eyes downcast.

"Yeah…" Naruto conceded, "What if? What-ifs don't change anything, only actions do. Hindsight and retrospect are the most useless of our brain's functions! Dwelling on the past will not help us now. Only what we do will. And if I have to order Sakura to follow Tsunade everywhere and intrude on the old – young – whatever lady's training sessions to make Tsunade take her on, I will. It will happen. Don't worry so much about it." With his small speech concluded, a dark chakra appeared in his right gauntlet, and it took the shape of the sword he had just been using. "What if we spar?" Naruto asked, grinning, his foxish features giving him a mischievous look.

"What if?" Hinata laughed.

* * *

Kiba toured the remnants of the warehouse he once lived in. The large, musty-smelling interior was bare, the long and intricate catwalks empty of the dogs that had once roamed them, the puppies that would nap there, the Inuzuka children that would run along them, barking and howling at each other. As Kiba walked across the concrete floor, that was once littered with animals, rugs, bones, chew toys, training weapons, and much, much more… he felt a feeling of longing.

Though the compound that his clan now called home in Kaimu was even larger, it was not as community-oriented as this warehouse had been. His entire life as he was growing up remained here. Looking at the far side of the huge building, Kiba could make out the large double-doors that led to the cafeteria… an entire _cafeteria_, and beyond that would be the bathing area. But this place, where he stood, made him close his eyes and let himself fall into a nostalgic trance.

After several minutes, Kiba finally sighed and opened his eyes once more, only to recoil from an unexpected sight. Akamaru yelped at his side; even he hadn't noticed the newcomer. "Why are you here?" Kiba called out angrily.

"No one I have asked will confirm what I suspect. You can provide me with the information I seek." The monotonous voice belonged to an average height male, wearing a long, white overcoat and sunglasses. "What truly became of your clan?"

Kiba remembered the boy then; it was Aburame Shino. They had gone to the Academy together. "Well, what do they tell you? Maybe they are right."

"They claim your entire clan perished on a mission," Shino informed doubtfully. "Is that the truth, Inuzuka?"

"So what if it is?" Kiba snarled. "Why are you in my home?"

"Actually…" Shino shook his head, "this is no longer Inuzuka property. My clan has acquired your land to accommodate our kikai insects. To find you here has been a very unusual occurrence."

Kiba blinked in astonishment. First Konoha listed his whole clan as KIA, now his home belonged to someone else!

Shino tilted his head slightly and continued, "And what brings you back to Konoha, I wonder?"

Kiba turned away from the Aburame, his fists clenched. What did he care if his _former_ home belonged to a bunch of bug-lovers? He belonged in Kaimu now. And that's where he should be headed for now. After Tsunade arrived, the man Kiba had carried back to Konoha was doing much better. His burns would leave scars, she warned, but he would be able to return to duty within a month. Despite never seeing the Sennin before, he had never imagined her to be so… _young_. She looked no older than twenty, a stark contrast to the Toad Sage that had stood beside her when Kiba first saw them. _It must be a genjutsu_, he told himself at the time, but he couldn't help but blush at her ample cleavage. He had left shortly after, seeing that Tsunade had everything under control.

"Business," Kiba replied, turning back to the boy. "But I'll be gone soon enough, so don't worry about me messing up your precious bug house."

"Unfortunate. I had hoped we could exchange mutually beneficial information. You of your clan, I of breeding techniques." Shino shrugged then.

"What makes you think I don't know everything there is to know of breeding? Akamaru here is a prime example of my clan's breeding methods!" Kiba pointed down to the snow-white pup, the small dog barking in agreement.

"Be that as it may, I couldn't help but notice your clan's logs as I was cleaning. Mating third cousins may seem a superficial risk when dealing with a litter as small as yours, but there are mathematical formulas that can be used to diversify the gene-line as much as possible before having to reconnect certain lines of heritage. Maximizing the potential matches for as long as possible before mating distant relatives, allowing for a truer breed and a minimized risk of unwanted mutations."

Kiba pondered that for a bit, until he finally gave in. "All right," he said, holding up a finger, "but if any of your questions are too specific, I may not be able to answer. You have five questions."

Shino readjusted his sunglasses, nodding as he did so. "Agreed. First query; are your clan members still living?"

Kiba smirked, "As if anything could kill off my clan!" Akamaru howled in agreement.

"Just answer, please."

Kiba rolled his eyes with a groan, "Yes, all right?"

"I thank you. Next question… where did they all go? Where did _you_ go?" Shino cocked his head slightly.

Grinning, Kiba answered, "I'm counting that as two questions. We… relocated. For the benefit of all."

Seemingly satisfied, Shino nodded. "I'll hold those next two questions for some other time. You've given me a lot to think about." He produced a small notebook from a large pocket on his side. Tossing it in Kiba's direction, he said, "Within that notebook lays my personal observations for breeding, as well as a few of my clan's equations. Use them wisely." He turned around, took three steps, and then stopped. Turning his head to the side, Shino remarked, "Your clan's disappearance coincides with the exodus of the Harunos. Something unusual is transpiring, and I intend to discover just what it is. Good day, Inuzuka."

Kiba watched the strange boy leave the warehouse, before opening the notebook. It only took a glance to figure out that it would be better off in his sister's hands. Stashing the boring material away, he exclaimed, "C'mon, Akamaru, let's head to the 'kage and ask for his leave to return to Kaimu!" The young pup barked his agreement, and the two raced out of the former Inuzuka complex.

* * *

The Hokage sat behind his large desk, staring across the mounds of paperwork at his former students. "Well, Tsunade," the old man sighed, "are you finally happy? You get your life back."

Tsunade sneered, turning her head. Jiraiya shrugged peaceably, a sad smile on his face. He said, "There's something very odd happening with Minato's boy. His seal has been partly transferred to the Hyuuga girl, he's obtained a new chakra, and he's creating techniques that make absolutely no sense… if you take what we know of physics and apply it to what he's done." He looked pointedly down at the twelve-year old Tsunade, who had her arms crossed, not looking at her old sensei.

"I see," Sarutobi muttered. "Has the boy been training? He needs to be ready for what's to come. Especially as the Kage of a village. And if the girl truly has part of Kyuubi's powers… she needs to be just as prepared."

"I trained them at first, but after what happened on our mission to bring back Tsunade, I haven't done much with them. Both of them train daily, refining their techniques. But their unique chakra type definitely gives them an edge over others. I do believe that Hinata is at her limits with Jyuuken, however. She may need a teacher."

"No," the Third Hokage replied grimly. "No one can know who Kaimugakure's leaders truly are. I've done my best to filter any information about that village, yet it is still not enough. People whisper… some only of ridiculous rumors, others of truths that I wished were rumors."

"Why did you allow them to do this, you old fool?" Tsunade asked softly, taking a seat before the desk. Jiraiya followed in kind.

"His greatest dream was to be the Hokage. As the village was… still is, he could not have been accepted as the leader. I gave him his chance. I did what Minato would have wanted, if he had seen how the boy was treated."

"Minato wanted him to be the hero of _this_ village. Not any other." Jiraiya pointed out, crossing his arms.

Sarutobi only laughed. "Jiraiya, Jiraiya. All your years away made you blind. Sure, he may have become just that. But the boy was lonely. He was mistreated. Nothing outright dangerous, or really physical, but the mental abuses were much more traumatic. I took the boy under my wing. I gave him what help I could, for the time I had. I taught him, subtly, everything he needed to know about leadership. He needed strength, courage, and the love of his people. Tell me, does he have that?"

Tsunade grunted, and Jiraiya smiled. "He's a chip off his old man's block, that's for sure. The people adore him, and the girl. They freed Wave country from a tyrannical monopoly, yet they ended up owning much of it themselves. But the people don't see anything wrong with it; their lives have changed for the better, and that's all they care about. Then, they raised the small town to the status of a great ninja village, seemingly overnight. If that's not leadership, I can't say what is."

The Third allowed himself a victorious smile. "And the girl… has she come out of her shell?"

Jiraiya laughed, "She's a vicious fighter, I'll give her that much. But it wasn't until recently that she finally admitted her feelings to Naruto."

Sarutobi turned fully from his former students, hiding the emotions playing across his face. _Then I have done as much as I had hoped to do, and more. I wish them all the happiness in the world_. "And do they seem content?"

"Besides being burdened with the responsibility of a whole village? Sure, about as jovial as they can be."

Sarutobi nodded to himself, and stared out at the Hokage monument. His gaze lingered on the deeply shadowed face of the Yondaime for a few minutes, before he finally turned back to face his guests.

"Then we'll have to do everything we can to reduce that burden," Sarutobi began, "starting with the two of you watching and helping them full time. They need good counsel, as well as skilled teachers. I can think of none better."

Tsunade arched an eyebrow, "I thought you said I had my life back?"

Sarutobi smiled knowingly at her, "You do, of course. Yet you are still a ninja, and one of this village's finest. Your mission now is to regain your physical strength and chakra as you help Kaimu. We'll need your help in the war that is to come."

Jiraiya sighed, "Is there no way to avoid it? Has diplomacy really been such a failure?"

Sarutobi nodded gravely, "A treaty party from Suna was dispatched to Iwa, yet they never returned. I'm afraid Earth Country is out for blood, and the Kazekage is more than happy to oblige."

"And to the conqueror goes the spoils," Jiraiya grumbled. "This war will just give the other ninja countries an excuse to pillage and gain land. Greedy bastards…"

"Let's not forget those samurai," Tsunade piped up. "They seem to be out for blood, as well."

"Definitely," Jiraiya agreed.

"But who will they attack first?" Tsunade put in.

"You have it all wrong," the Sandaime Hokage stated. "We should not worry about whom they attack. We should worry about _when_: before or after we ninja destroy each other?"

The three exchanged a very dark look, knowing him to be right.


End file.
